Beautiful Soldier
by ArtistKurai
Summary: After Sam jumps into the Cage, Castiel doesn't come back as quickly as he did canonically. Dean is left alone in the cemetery, still dazed out with grief. When he's found and taken home by a kind young nurse, will Dean's heart start to heal? Post Swan Song AU. Dean/OC
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Okay, so this is my first time posting a multichapter story. Don't get too upset with me if I end up taking a while between chapters. I'm known to suffer serious bouts of writer's block from time to time.

Just a little warning, Dean is going to be a little OOC for a while. He just lost the last of his family, so he's still in a daze and doesn't really know what to do with himself yet.

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or anything recognizable. I only own the OCs.

* * *

Silence reigned over Stull Cemetery after the wind finally died down. There was no movement. No people, no animals, even the nearby trees were still. The only thing that did move in the desolate silence was the blood dripping down Dean Winchester's face. He was unaware of everything; nothing caught his attention. 

'They're gone,' ran like a mantra through his head. 'They're all gone.' A slow shift of his eyes led him to the body of Bobby Singer. His head was turned at an unnatural angle, evidence of Lucifer snapping his neck. The ground next to him was covered in blood and viscera. No bones, no clothes. Just an explosion of flesh that painted a grim picture of what had transpired only minutes ago. 'I've got no one left.' 

Still in a daze, Dean slowly stood to his feet and stumbled out of the cemetery, absently bumping his beloved Impala on his way out. He didn't notice where he was going. Only his feet knew his destination, and they weren't telling Dean anything. 

The next thing Dean knew, he was walking into a brick wall, falling to the ground in a heap. He didn't bother getting up, just curled up in the corner of the building he hit and the one next to it and let the rain he didn't know was falling soak him through. Cas... Bobby... Sammy... "They're all gone," he whispered brokenly as the tears finally fell.

* * *

The evening sky had opened a torrent over Lawrence by the time Audrey Dawson walked out the back door of the hospital. "About time that conference let out," she grumbled in a Southern drawl as she stomped her way down the alley toward the street to hail a cab. "The one time I forget to bring an umbrella." 

As she strutted her way through the alley, she didn't see anything blocking her path until she kicked something solid and nearly went flying. "What was that?" she yelped, trying to regain her balance. When she looked behind her, what she saw broke her heart. 

Leaning against the wall was a man. He looked to be only a few years older than herself, but she could see a deep sorrow etched into every one of his features. He didn't appear to be homeless, if his clothes were anything to go by. They had some rips and tears in them, but they were still in good condition, as were his shoes. 

He was also clean. After three years of being a registered nurse, Audrey had seen homeless men come and go through her hospital. They were all dirty, their skin almost stained with the soil of the ground they were forced to sleep on. This man only had a little dirt under his nails and on his palms, and his dirty blond hair was obviously clean, though matted and soaked from the rain. Audrey realized quickly that this man was nothing short of an enigma. 

"Hey, man," she said, keeping her voice loud enough for him to hear but not so loud it would scare him. When he didn't respond, she took a step closer. "Hey. Are you alright?" Brushing her dark brown hair behind her shoulders, the young woman knelt down before him. Now that she was looking more closely, Audrey could see injuries marring his features. His nose was badly broken and one of his eyes was so bruised and swollen, she doubted he'd be able to open it. "Sir?" She tentatively reached a hand out, and as soon as it touched his shoulder, his right eye opened just a slit. The movement startled her, but not enough to make her bolt. "Are you alright?" 

The man didn't answer. "My name is Audrey. What's yours?" Silence still. "How about we get you inside to look at those injuries?" she offered gently. He just stared blankly through his uninjured eye. "Is there someone I can call for you?" asked Audrey. The man shook his head, the movement almost imperceptible. "No family, friends?" 

"They're all gone," his deep voice rasped, tears threatening to fall. "Cas, Bobby, Sammy. They're all gone." 

Audrey practically felt her heart break for this man. "Is there anywhere you can go?" she asked. "Where do you live?" 

"Nowhere," he answered. "No home, no family. They're all gone." This man had clearly faced a tragedy, and recently if he was still so shaken by it. 

A moment of madness passed through Audrey's brain, and she pounced on it before it could get away. "Why don't you come home with me?" she offered. "I'll have to get my things from my hotel first, but if you're willing to bear with that and a late flight, you're more than welcome to come back to my house." 

"No flying," the man said. There was a spark of fear in his green eye that struck Audrey as odd. "No flying." 

"Okay, it's alright," Audrey placated him quickly. "I could rent a car instead. It'll be less expensive than buying another plane ticket anyway, right?" 

"Pocket," floated softly to her ears. With a head tilt of confusion, Audrey searched his jacket pockets until she found a tiny set of keys. 

"Are these the keys to your car?" she asked, surprised. He nodded slowly, his right eye closing in fatigue. "Alright, I'll go get it. You just stay here and don't move. Are you injured anywhere besides your these on your face?" Another head shake. "Okay, I'll be right back. Where is it?" 

"Stull." 

"S-stull, the cemetery?" The man nodded again. "Okay, I'll find it. What kind of car is it?" 

"'mpala," he slurred. Audrey could tell he was tiring out quickly. 

"Impala, good. I'll be right back with it." With that, Audrey jumped up and ran out of the alley in hopes of finding the stranger's car. She wasn't a local, so she didn't quite know her way. After hailing a taxi to take her to the cemetery, Audrey contemplated what she was doing. 

"He's a stranger," she reasoned with herself, ignoring the weird looks she got from the driver. "You've never seen him before in your life. But he obviously needs help. You're a nurse, Audy. You help people. Ugh, what am I getting myself into?" 

When the cab got to the cemetery, Audrey's eyes were instantly drawn to the big, black muscle car parked right in the middle of the graves. "That must be it," she thought aloud as she got out. "How much do I owe you?" she asked the driver. Once she'd paid her fare, Audrey drew the keys out of her purse. For a reason she didn't know, Audrey felt the need to approach the car with great caution. There was something about it that demanded reverence, and she didn't question. The door opened and closed with a creak, and the engine rumbled and purred like a content cat as Audrey started it and drove out of the cemetery. 

It took a while to find her way back to the hospital, and she prayed the man hadn't moved. To her amazement and relief, he hadn't moved. At all. He hadn't even shifted into a different position since she'd left, and Audrey had been gone for over twenty minutes. "He's got to be uncomfortable," she mused to herself as she approached him. "Hey, man. I'm back. I've gotta say, you've got an awesome car. So, why don't we go inside and get you checked out before we leave, huh? I'm a nurse, and there are doctors inside who can take care of you." 

"No," the man said firmly, startling Audrey. "No doctors, no hospital." 

"I know lots of people don't like hospitals, but I have to insist on this," said Audrey. "You're hurt. From what I can tell already, your nose is badly broken and needs to be set. I don't have the training to do that properly. You need a doctor to do it so you don't get an infection." 

"No." This man was dead set against going into that hospital. Audrey wondered at that, but she knew she didn't have time to try convincing this guy that she was right. 

"Well, if you don't want to go inside, will you at least let me bring someone out here to make sure there isn't going to be any permanent damage?" she reasoned. When she didn't receive an answer, Audrey took that as consent. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Just stay here." 

Once she was back inside the hospital, Audrey looked around the stark white halls for a doctor. "Hey, Doctor," she called when she saw one. A man in his mid forties turned at the summons. "I've got a man outside. He's got a very broken nose, cuts and swelling all over his face, and he refuses to come inside to get examined. He says he has no home, but I don't think he's homeless because he's too clean cut. He's not dirty or scruffy, just looks like he's been in a fight. But he refuses to come inside. I don't know why, but he was adamant. Do you mind coming outside to look at him, make sure he doesn't get worse or an infection?" 

"Yeah, of course," the older man agreed. "You go on back outside with him. I'll get the things I need to look him over and join you. Where is he?" 

"Just come out this back door," Audrey instructed, indicating the door she'd just used. "You'll see us." The doctor nodded and scurried away to get the supplies he needed. Once she was back outside, Audrey knelt back down beside the stranger she'd found. "The doctor's coming to make sure you're okay," she told him. He didn't respond, which didn't surprise her. Instead of trying to make any kind of conversation, Audrey reached out a tentative hand and gently grasped his own. "You've been through a lot, haven't you?" she asked, feeling the calluses and scars that decorated his hand. 

Not long later, the door behind them opened and the doctor from before was next to them. "How is he?" the man asked Audrey. 

"Still the same as before," she answered. "Hey, man," she said, gently shaking his shoulder. His right eye opened again and focused on her blue ones. "This is Dr. Cason. He's going to make sure you're not too hurt." 

"Can you tell me how this happened?" the doctor asked his patient. The man didn't say anything. "Can you at least tell me your name?" 

"Dean," he whispered, voice nearly inaudible. 

"Alright, Dean," said Cason, happy that the man was at least responsive. "Where are you from?" No answer. "Do you have any family we can call?" More silence. 

"He said he doesn't have any friends or family left," Audrey whispered to the doctor. She didn't want to cause any more emotional pain by saying it where Dean could hear it. He didn't seem to react, so the young nurse took that to mean he hadn't heard her. 

"Dean, your nose is badly broken," Cason said gently. "I'm going to have to reset it if there's going to be any chance of it healing properly." Dean didn't react, but he also didn't protest as the doctor's fingers gripped the bridge his nose. "I might need you to hold him still," the older man said to the younger woman. Audrey nodded and moved her hands to their patient's shoulders. "Alright, Dean, on three. One, two, three!" As soon as he counted three, Cason moved the dislodged bone back into place. The young man surprised his caretakers. Other than a wince and a grunt of pain, Dean didn't make a sound as his nose was set. 

"Well," said the shocked physician, "since the worst is taken care of, let's get this blood cleaned off so we can assess the rest of the damage." Audrey took a warm wet rag that the doctor had brought and very carefully cleaned the blood from Dean's face. 

"Hey, there, handsome," she said lightly with a bright smile. It was true, though. Audrey could see that, without the blood and swelling, Dean would be a very attractive man. He still didn't respond, even to being called handsome. "So, how is he, Doc?" 

"Now that his nose is set, he'll be fine," Cason reported. "No other broken bones, that I can detect. Just the swelling and abrasions, which can be easily treated. Where will you be staying?" he asked Dean. As if in answer, Dean just closed his eye, still refusing to speak. 

"I offered to take him home with me," said Audrey. "I was supposed to take a flight back to Georgia tonight, but he doesn't like flying. That's his car over there," she indicated the black Impala at the end of the alley, "so we'll drive that back." Dean's eye opened again and his eyebrow quirked at the word Georgia, but he still didn't say anything. "But we'll spend another night at my hotel so we'll be well rested to drive tomorrow." It was apparent she was saying this to Dean, as she looked back at him and gave him a smile. 

"Alright, well, I'll let you get him on to your hotel," said Cason. "You take care, Dean, and make sure to go to a hospital if your condition gets any worse." 

"Will do," said Audrey. Once Dr. Cason had left them alone, she turned back to Dean. "Okay, dude, let's get you up." It was a slow and uncomfortable process, but the small woman managed to get Dean up his feet and down the alley to the Impala. Once at the hotel, it was another slow pace to get from the door to Audrey's room on the second floor. 'Thank goodness there's an elevator,' she thought as she held Dean up. Once in the room, Audrey gently let Dean settle on the single bed in the room. She helped him out of his boots, jacket, and over shirt before tucking him into bed. "Goodnight, Dean," she whispered as she brushed a hand over his hair. The man was still silent, but he did allow himself to relax into the pillow. Dean was asleep in seconds.

* * *

A/N: Alright, so there's chapter one. Leave me a review please.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Alright, guys, here's chapter 2. It might seem kind of filler in a way, at least that's how I see it, but this chapter is necessary. So, read and enjoy!

To the Guest reviewer that I couldn't respond to, no worries ;) No pressure taken. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any of its characters. It makes me sad.

* * *

The next morning was a flurry of movement, trying to pack up everything before check-out. At least, it was a flurry of Audrey's movement. She was flying around her hotel room, making sure nothing had been forgotten. "So glad I showered last night," she sighed. A pause allowed her eyes to drift over to the young man in her bed. "I'll let him sleep a little more," she decided. From the way Dean had instantly fallen asleep the night before, Audrey was convinced he needed all the rest he could get. She just hoped the ride from Kansas to Georgia wouldn't be a rough one. 

When she was convinced there was nothing else she had to pack, Audrey reluctantly went over to Dean's bed and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Dean," she said quietly with a little shake of the shoulder. His eyes popped open and his hands dashed under the pillow, looking for what, Audrey didn't know. His head jerked to the side, and the deadly gleam in his eye made Audrey take a step back. Upon recognizing her, though, Dean drew himself back into his shell. "It's almost 8:00. We need to go," she said carefully. With a resigned sigh, Dean got up out of bed and grabbed his boots. 

Ten minutes later found Dean and Audrey in the Impala, ready to travel. "Alright," the younger woman said as she pulled out her cell phone. "Let me find the best route to Georgia, and then we'll be on our way." Without saying a word, Dean reached into the glove box and dug through the various phones, papers, and fake IDs until he found what he was looking for. When she looked over at what he held, Audrey saw it was a map. 

Dean was still silent as he unfolded the map and studied it for a minute before pulling out a pen and tracing a route on the paper. When he handed the map over to Audrey, she was surprised to see that he had indicated an out-of-the-way route. "I was just going to take I-70," she said slowly, not sure why he'd chosen back roads instead of a straight shot. 

"Back roads," he said softly. "Safer." 

"It'll end up taking longer," said Audrey. "I figured we'd want to get on back to my house." 

Dean slowly shook his head. "Back roads are safer." 

Audrey mulled this over. In the few hours she'd known Dean, he'd only spoken if it was truly necessary. If he was telling her that the back roads were safer than the interstates and main highways, then it was probably pretty important to him that they stay away from them. "Okay, then, if you're really sure." Dean visibly sagged with relief, his eyes closing wearily. 

After a few hours, Audrey was glad she listened to Dean. The deserted town roads and highways were much easier to drive than the interstate would have been. A few miles outside of the Kansas border, Audrey got a little tense under the heavy silence. "Hey, do you care if I turn on the radio?" she asked. 

Dean didn't say anything, but he slowly blinked his eyes. Audrey took it as an okay. Turning the radio on, they were unpleasantly surprised by a blast of pop music. "Oh gosh!" shouted Audrey, and then quickly turned the volume all the way down. "Well, that's not what I expected," she huffed, trying to get her heart rate return to normal. Looking over, she saw Dean cringing in what looked like disgust. "So, you hate the trendy pop music too?" 

A brief shudder ran through his back, which made Audrey chuckle in agreement. "How about we find something a little more to our liking?" Flipping through the stations, Audrey and Dean were disappointed to find there was nothing they cared for playing. "Well, looks like we're still stuck without music." 

A shuffling sound filled the car, and Audrey saw Dean rummaging in a box at his feet. "What'cha got there?" she asked. Next thing she knew, Dean was brandishing a cassette tape. "Old school much?" she said lightly and took the tape, reading the label. "Ah man, heck yes." She popped the tape into the tape player and, soon, the car was rocking out to Aerosmith's Back in the Saddle Again. "You, my friend, have awesome taste in music." 

A small smile played on Dean's lips as he recalled a memory. It seemed such a distant memory, but it happened less than two years ago. "Sammy put an ipod dock in here one time," he whispered, voice broken from disuse and muffled by the swelling. He ignored the pleasantly shocked look on the younger woman's face. "I told him to take care of Baby, not douche her up." 

"So, your car's name is Baby?" asked Audrey, hoping he wouldn't clam up again. To her dismay, he did just that. A single tear tracked its way down his cheek, and it broke the younger woman's heart all over again. With careful movements, she reached a hand out to him and slipped it into his own. "Everything's going to be alright," she said quietly. "It may take a while, or a really long time, but I'm sure everything will be alright." 

"Everybody's gone," the young man said again. His voice was weary and worn, and his eyes bespoke a life of hardship. 

She knew it probably wasn't going to end well, but Audrey knew this man needed to open up. She could practically feel it radiating off of him. "Who is everybody, Dean?" 

"Mom and Dad, Bobby, Pastor Jim, Caleb. Pamela. Jo, Ellen, and Ash. Adam. Cas. Sammy..." His voice broke on the last name, and more tears joined the first one to fall. "Sammy's gone. It's all my fault." 

"I'm sure it's not your fault," said Audrey, hoping she wasn't wrong. "It couldn't have been your fault." 

"I didn't do anything to stop him," Dean continued, as if Audrey hadn't even spoken. "He jumped right into the Cage, and I just let him go. If it weren't for me, none of this would have happened." 

"What could you have done that was so bad?" asked Audrey. 

"I broke the first seal." Dean's voice was so quiet, Audrey almost didn't hear what he'd said. "If I hadn't broken, if I hadn't accepted Alistair's offer, Sammy wouldn't have had to sacrifice himself. If I'd just held on for ten more years. Instead, I spent it torturing those souls." 

Now Audrey was confused. The man couldn't be older than thirty, but he was talking about "holding on" for ten more years? What could he have possibly been through? And what kind of torture had he done? For a moment, Audrey feared for her safety, but then she looked back over to Dean. His face showed nothing but agony and regret. She could tell that, despite what he'd said, he'd been the victim, not the perpetrator, and she was determined to tell him so. "It wasn't your fault, Dean," she said firmly. He didn't face her, but Audrey could tell he'd heard her. "None of this is your fault. Do you know how I know?" No answer. "Because I can see it in your eyes and your expression. You feel guilt and pain. You weren't given any other choice, I can see it. You're not the one to blame." 

The two of them fell back into silence, Aerosmith being the only source of noise in the car. Audrey had forgotten that she'd taken Dean's hand, and it startled her to feel his hand squeeze hers. Feeling bold, she interlaced their fingers and stroked his wrist comfortingly. Minutes later, Dean was asleep. "Please, God, give him some peaceful rest," prayed Audrey. "He's so broken. Please heal his heart and his soul. He needs you so badly." The rest of the morning's drive was quiet with Dean snoozing in the passenger seat. 

As she drove, Audrey contemplated everything Dean had confided in her. "He must have been a soldier," she concluded. Everything he'd said, with the exception of ten years, sounded like he'd seen and experienced combat. His actions, the way he carried himself, his mannerisms, even his haircut screamed military. If he had been a soldier who had faced what sounded like torture and losing everyone he cared about, then Audrey was determined to help him heal. 

Dean woke up to see Baby pulling into a diner parking lot. "I'm getting hungry," said the woman next to him. He vaguely remembered her introducing herself as Audrey. "How about we go inside and get some lunch?" Dean decided that was probably a good idea when he felt his stomach rumbling violently. "I'll take that as a yes," Audrey chuckled. She didn't notice Dean surreptitiously checking for the large bulge at the small of his back. 

Upon entering the building, Dean went straight for the back corner booth. Audrey thought it a little odd, but she didn't question it. Their meal was just as quiet as the car ride, though it was a little more relaxed. Audrey loved that about food. No matter how she was feeling, food always made her feel more at ease. 

Dean felt calmer as well. He knew he'd been tense the whole car ride, even when he was asleep. The familiar feeling of a diner helped, too. It was familiar and homey, just like every diner he'd been to his whole life, and it helped him more than he ever thought it could. That was, until he heard a loud crash. Reacting on instinct, Dean nearly jumped out of his seat, hand reaching for the gun tucked into his waistband. It wasn't until he realized it was just a fallen tray that he could even think of settling back down. Even once he was sitting back down, his nerves didn't settle. 

Audrey could see the tension return tenfold when that tray of cups crashed to the floor. When he reached behind him, she realized he might have a gun on him, and that worried her. Thankfully, though, Dean realized what was going on before he could draw his possible weapon. But when he sat back down, he was practically trembling with pent up tension. Time to go. 

"Hey, I'm 'bout ready to leave," Audrey said, hoping it would snap him out of it. "What about you?" With jerky movements, the man looked between their mostly empty plates and nodded. He took out his wallet and dropped $30 on the table, enough for their meals and a generous tip. "Oh, you don't have to pay, Dean. I can cover it." She tried giving the money back, but he wouldn't take it. "Okay then, if you're sure. Thank you." Dean just shrugged self-consciously and walked outside. After making sure their waitress saw the money, Audrey followed Dean to the car. She found him leaning against the trunk, gazing at nothing out toward the horizon. He was still a little jittery, but the young nurse could tell the older man was, in fact, calming down. She expected him to fall asleep again once they were back on the road. "You okay?" 

When Dean didn't answer, Audrey guessed he wasn't. He just stared. With a sympathetic sigh, Audrey slipped her hand into Dean's, a silent comrade for him to lean on. And he did. He squeezed her hand gently, earning a smile. "Come on. Let's get back on the road." 

The two of them made good time after leaving the restaurant, and after only a few stops for gas and bathroom breaks, they found themselves in Chattanooga, Tennessee. "I love this city," said Audrey with a fond smile. She looked tiredly to her companion, who still hadn't said a word since telling her about his lost loved ones. "How about we find a hotel for the night?" she suggested. "It's after 9:00, and I'm exhausted. And you don't look like you're doing much better." Finding a hotel wasn't hard at all, as a Motel 6 advertised itself just a few miles into the business district. 

After showering, the travelers dropped gratefully into their beds. Audrey looked over at her companion, watching the gentle rise and fall of his shoulder as he breathed. "Sweet dreams, Dean," and she, too, fell asleep.

* * *

A/N: So there you have it. Please leave me a review. They make me happy. Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Alright, guys and gals, here's chapter three! This chapter has a little more angst and heartbreak than the last one, but I hope you still enjoy it.

Sidenote, Woodnor is not a real city in Georgia. I based it on a really small farm town where some of my family lives, but I changed the name for anonymity purposes. I'll do the same with other cities unless a bigger city is mentioned, such as Atlanta or Savannah. So unless I specify otherwise, just go ahead and assume that all city names in the story are made up. Thanks! 

Disclaimer: Nope. Nah-ah. Still don't own it. But I own Audrey and any other OCs in this story. I even own the cities since they're not real! Yay! But I don't own Supernatural. Dang.

* * *

It was a blessed relief to see the dirt driveway that lead up to Audrey's cabin. "Home sweet home. Welcome to Woodnor, Georgia," she said cheerfully, hoping to draw Dean out of his silent shell. It didn't work. With a weary sigh, the young nurse got out of the car. "Well, let's go inside." She went around to the back of the car and opened up the trunk, grabbing her bags. Dean was there in a second. Even after knowing him for three days, it surprised her how such a big man could be so stealthy. His footfalls were almost silent, and only the shuffling of bags told Audrey that there was even anyone beside her. 

Once they were inside, Audrey led Dean through her house to the bedrooms. "Here's the spare bedroom," she said, leading him inside. "My cousin stayed with me for a few days right before I went to Kansas, so the sheets are clean for you. And the bed's really comfy. Trust me. You'll like it." Dean's only response was a brief nod of thanks as he approached the bed. "Well, I'm gonna go unpack my bags. You get settled in, and once I'm done, I'll cook us some lunch and get you some ice for that swelling. Sound good?" The older man nodded slowly, his eyes barely meeting hers. "Great." And Audrey was out of the room, leaving Dean alone with his thoughts. 

"What am I even doing here?" he asked himself in a whisper. "I can't drag her into my crap." Despite his thoughts, however, Dean couldn't stop himself from sitting on the edge of the bed and dropping his head into his hands. "Cas, I wish you could hear me. I wish you could bring Sammy back. Sammy..." Dean broke off into sobs, his heart finally giving out and grieving as it needed, as it knew Dean needed. Not for the first time, Dean wished he hadn't thrown away his amulet. It was a gift from Sam, the most important thing in the world to him, next to his brother. If he still had that necklace, he would still have something of Sam to hold onto. "I'm so sorry, Sammy." 

From her room across the hall, Audrey could hear quiet mumblings. She couldn't understand the words, but she knew Dean needed to get them off his chest. She nearly cried herself when she heard the broken sobs coming from the guest room. "I've gotta be strong for him," she resolved herself. The young woman wanted desperately to go back in there and hug the life out of Dean, give him all the comfort she could muster in her small body, but she knew she shouldn't. Dean needed to grieve properly, needed to cry, and she knew it wasn't her place to intrude. 

The house was suspiciously quiet a short while later. Wondering what was up, Audrey left her room and peeked into the guest room. Dean was no longer there. "Where did he go?" she asked herself. His duffel bag was still on the bed, so she knew he hadn't left. Looking in the bathroom and living room proved fruitless, and she was starting to get worried until she saw movement out the window and saw him at the Impala. Breathing a sigh of relief, Audrey stepped out on the porch, wanting to be near Dean in case he needed her. 

Dean stood wearily over the open trunk of the Impala, looking through the weapons cache hidden under the false bottom. His rough fingers ran lovingly over Sam's gun, nails digging briefly in the grooves etched into the metal. Drawing his eyes up, Dean spotted something hanging with the rosaries. "No way," he gasped. 

Peering more closely, Dean pushed the rosaries aside. Hanging there, in the trunk of the car, was the amulet necklace Sam had given Dean all those years ago. The very same amulet he had thrown away in that motel room so recently. "Sam, you idiot," he choked out. "Why did you save this? I don't deserve to have this anymore." The grief-stricken man gingerly lifted the necklace from the nail that held it and cradled it in his hand. "Sammy," he cried once again before falling to his knees, the car the only thing holding him upright. 

Worry lanced through Audrey when she saw Dean drop. She ran to him, afraid one of his injuries might have suddenly worsened, when she saw he was only crying. There was something tangled in his fingers, but she couldn't tell what it was. "Dean," she tried calling him, but she stopped when she saw the trunk. It wasn't as empty as she'd previously thought. Inside was a secret compartment under what she had thought to be the floor of the trunk, and it was chock full of weapons. Born and raised in the back woods of Georgia, Audrey was no stranger to weapons, but she was still taken aback by the vast variety she saw in the young man's car. 

'That's not what's important right now,' she mentally berated herself and forced her brain to think of other things besides the arsenal she'd discovered. "Hey, Dean, come on. Let's go back inside." A clap of thunder rumbled through the air, giving Audrey even more reason to get the man inside. "It's about to storm, man. We don't want to be out under all these trees when it gets closer." 

He was reluctant to move, but Dean heard the thunder as well, and he let Audrey lead him into the house. Since the living room was closer, Audrey helped Dean settle on the couch. He had calmed down during the walk from the car to the couch, his gut-wrenching sobs now only streaming tears accompanied by a few sniffles. Leaving to get him a glass of water, Audrey wondered just how tragic this man's recent life really was. When she returned, she found him fiddling with a necklace. 

"Here you go," she said softly and set the glass on the end table beside Dean. Once she was seated on the couch next to him, the younger woman attempted to get him to open up. "What's going on, Dean?" she questioned gently. "You've been completely silent since leaving Lawrence, and now you're sobbing your heart out. I just want to help you. Can you tell me what happened in Lawrence?" 

Dean didn't answer for several minutes. It hurt badly enough just having to deal with all the loss. If he had to talk about it, he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't completely crack. 'But maybe Sammy had something when he always tried to make me talk about stuff,' he thought sadly, the memory of his brother hurting his heart once again. "My whole family's dead," he began dejectedly. Audrey nodded. She remembered him telling her that the day before. "Yesterday, my brother, Sam, died at Stull. Bobby and Castiel died that day too, right before Sam did. Bobby was like a dad to Sammy and me, and Cas was my best friend. Everyone else died over the last few years. Except my mom. She died when I was four. I watched my baby brother sacrifice himself, and I couldn't do anything to stop it." The tears strengthened, and Audrey couldn't ask Dean to tell her anything else. He held the necklace closer, his thumb caressing the amulet. 

"Would you like to put that on?" asked Audrey. She could tell it was very important to Dean. He didn't respond, or make any move to do as she'd suggested. "It'll be easier to hold onto if you wear it." 

Dean pondered the trinket he held. "Sammy gave this to me. Christmas of '91. I told him a big secret, and so he gave me this as a thank you. Last year, he made some decisions that caused a lot of problems for a lot of people. Sam, Bobby, and Cas and I worked together to fix it. Spent the whole year trying to fix the damage caused by the stuff Sammy did. And a few weeks ago, I threw this away in some no-tell motel. I thought I'd never see it again. I can't tell you how many times I wished I hadn't thrown this away. And Sammy saved it. Pulled it out of the trash and kept it. I don't have a clue why he did." 

"Maybe because he loved you," said Audrey, hoping to assure Dean that his brother really had loved him before he died. "If he didn't, would he have cared about this being thrown away?" 

"I don't understand half the things that went on through his head," Dean said fondly. "He was so much smarter than me. Even though we didn't have a home and spent our entire lives traveling all over the country, he got a full ride into Stanford. He would've been a lawyer by now if I hadn't dragged him back into the life." As he spoke, Dean's tone was full of regret and self-loathing. 

"What life, Dean?" That question had been plaguing Audrey pretty much since she'd found Dean in the alley. 

"A messed up life full of fighting, death, and loneliness," he answered vaguely. Dean had closed his eyes again, willing the tears to stop falling. "You don't want to be a part of that life." 

"It doesn't sound like you were completely alone," said Audrey. "If you had Bobby, Cas, and Sam, it sounds like you had all the people you really needed. They were your family, right?" 

"Yeah, I had my family. And that's all we had." Dean clenched his fist around the necklace in anger. "I shouldn't even be here," he said suddenly and stood up. "I don't need to be here. I can't drag you into this." He started to walk back out the front door when a hand clasped around his wrist and spun him around. Audrey had one of the most intimidating looks he'd ever seen. 

"I don't know what kind of life you've led, Dean, but I do know that you need someone," she said, determination dripping from her tone. "You've told me about your family, how you don't have anyone else in the world. You've told me how you grew up all over the country, didn't even have a home. I won't let you go out there all by yourself." Dean was taken aback by her brusqueness. 

"Well, you certainly don't hold anything back," he said sarcastically. Audrey breathed a resigned sigh and let go of his wrist. 

"I'm sorry," she relented. "I just don't want you to be alone. I work as a nurse, so when I take someone under my care, I'm serious about it. And from what I've heard, you need someone to take care of you. Will you let me do that? I know you don't know me from Santa Claus and you don't have any reason to trust me, but will you? Will you stay here and let me help you?" 

Dean considered Audrey's offer. Here this woman was offering her home and her companionship to a complete stranger who had none. Before he could actually give her an answer, a thought occurred to him. A very frightening thought. "You saw the trunk of my car, didn't you?" he asked, afraid to hear the answer. 

"Yes, and it did unnerve me for a brief second," Audrey said bluntly. The anxious look on Dean's face was nearly enough to make Audrey laugh, but she knew it was a serious question and decided to put him out of his misery. "But don't worry. When you grow up in Georgia woods, you tend to see mass quantities of weaponry on a regular basis." 

Punctuating her statement with a casual shrug was what finally put Dean at ease and allowed him to come to a decision. "Okay then," he said with a nervous nod of the head. "I'll stay with you." 

The beaming smile that lit up the younger woman's face was enough to bring out a small grin from Dean. "Come on, handsome. Let's go get you unpacked." 

After quickly getting Dean's belongings put away in his new bedroom, the two settled in for lunch, which was accompanied by an ice pack for Dean. "You keep that on for fifteen minutes, then we'll take it off for a while," Audrey instructed. 

"Won't it be in the way?" Dean asked lightly as he brought his fork up to his mouth and took a bite of hamburger helper. 

"Not if you keep it away from your mouth," said Audrey as she sat down at her own place. "Fork down. We're saying the blessing." Dean paused in confusion, simply raising his eyebrow in question. "In my house, we pray before we eat," the young woman explained. Her words were gentle, but her intent was firm. It wasn't a question. So Dean complied. 

Once they'd eaten their meal, Audrey cleared the table and filled up the sink to wash up. A quick thought flashed through Dean's mind before he could even question it, and before he knew it, he was standing next to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, getting her attention. "Yeah?" asked Audrey, looking up at him. Dean just gestured toward the living room with a quick head movement and nudged the younger woman away from the sink. "You want to do the dishes?" 

Dean just shrugged and looked away, uncomfortable with the attention, before cautiously facing Audrey. She had another beaming smile on her face, but this one was more humble. "Thanks, Dean. I appreciate it." He graced her with another small smile. It was just a lightening-fast quirk of the lips, but it was genuine. 

While Dean was still in the kitchen, Audrey settled into the couch and picked up her phone, finding the contact she was looking for and calling it. "Hey, Nette," she said once the call was answered. "I was wondering if you could rearrange my schedule. I know I was supposed to start back tomorrow morning, but something came up and I won't be able to come to work for a few more days." Her voice caught Dean's attention in the other room, making him pause in his task. "No, no, everything's fine. Just some stuff at home I need to take care of. I promise you everything is okay. Do I need to put my hand on a stack of Lord of the Rings DVDs for you to believe me? Okay then, great. I'll see you next week." 

When Audrey set her phone down, her eyes caught sight of Dean standing at the end of the couch with a frown on his face. "You're not going back to work?" he asked worriedly, throwing Audrey for a loop. 

"Oh you heard that? Yeah, I'm just going to take a few more days off so you can get comfortable here," she explained nonchalantly. "Why? What is it?" 

"You shouldn't have to miss work because of me," answered Dean. His expression and body language exuded discomfort as he turned and went back to the kitchen. 

"Wait, Dean," Audrey called as she followed him. "Hold on, I'm not missing work because of you." Dean ignored her and went back to washing dishes. "Dean, look at me." She forcibly took his hands out of the dishwater and turned him to face her. "I'm not missing work because of you," she repeated. "Believe me, I don't mind taking a few more days of paid leave to stay here and make sure you get comfortable here. You've been through a lot in the last few days, and now you're in a new town, living with someone you don't know, and that takes some getting used to. I just want you to be able to get settled here." 

Despite her assurances, Dean still wouldn't look her in the eye. Audrey could visibly see the guilt he felt for disrupting her life. "You're not inconveniencing me, Dean," she said gently. Her hands slowly moved from his wrists to grasp his hands. "Not in any way. If I felt inconvenienced by you living here, I would have set you up at a hotel until you could get back on your feet. I wouldn't have brought you here, into my home. Please don't feel guilty about it." At that, the older man finally looked up at her, into her eyes. She gave him a small smile. "Well, now that that's taken care of, I'm going to start my paid vacation with a movie. You come join me whenever you want." She put Dean's dripping hands back in the sink and retreated to the couch. Dean just watched her walk away, not quite knowing what to think about this woman that had pulled him wholeheartedly into her life. 

As he finished washing the dishes, a thought occurred to Dean. 'Maybe I can give this a try. Sammy made me promise to settle down. He told me to go to Lisa and Ben, but...' He looked back to the living room, where Audrey had started Star Wars episode 4. 'Maybe I can get used to this.'

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A/N: So, yeah, a few tears there for Dean. As always, don't forget to leave me a review. Just getting them makes me smile and encourages me to keep writing. Thanks again!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Alright, special treat for you guys. You get two chapters this week! Yay! As I said last chapter, the towns mentioned in this chapter are fictional. 

This chapter is dedicated to LaughingLadyBug. Sorry again for the accidental spoiler slip last night. I hope this makes up for it and that the chapter lives up to that sneak preview I gave you. This one's for you, LLB. 

Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Supernatural. Otherwise, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. I wish these people would quit rubbing it in my face already. I gotta say this every time I post a chapter. It actually gets kind of old.

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It took a couple weeks, but Dean did get used to his new surroundings. He enjoyed the quiet of the woods, but was glad the cabin wasn't so far away from town to be inconvenient. He'd been pleased to find that Audrey had a gun range in the backyard, of which he took full advantage. There was also a big shelter behind the house where Dean repaired the damage done to his Baby during the face-off in Kansas. 

Dean was also grateful that Audrey didn't push him. He hated when people tried to beat what he was feeling out of him; all it did was make him mad. Audrey didn't ask any questions, just gave him the space he needed to mourn, and he appreciated it. Dean still hadn't opened up much since moving in with Audrey, but the young woman didn't hold it against him. She talked to him politely, even joked around with him, and she understood that his silence had nothing to do with her. 

It was nice having that. When Sam had died, Dean thought he would be alone for the rest of his life. Knowing that he wasn't alone was something Dean hadn't even known he needed. "Hey," a voice broke through his thoughts as he looked up from under the Impala's hood. Audrey stood in the shelter's doorway. She had changed out of her work scrubs and was now wearing a sundress. "I'm going back over to Wayline. Someone from work asked me to pick her son up from school since she and her husband are both working late. I'll make a Walmart run while I'm over there. We're running low on some stuff. You need me to get you anything?" Dean just shook his head. "Alright, I'll be back after-while. If I'm not back by five, will you cook a potato, put the pot pie together, and then put it in the oven?" Dean nodded. "Thanks." Audrey flashed him a smile before climbing into her Camry and driving away. 

After spending over an hour tuning up his car, Dean decided it would be a good idea to get a shower and wash all the sweat, dirt, and engine grease off his body. With the noise of both the shower and the radio going on in the bathroom, Dean didn't hear the front door being unlocked and opened, nor did he hear the footsteps sounding through the house. 

Working on the Impala had built up an appetite, so Dean sauntered from the bathroom to the kitchen in just his jeans to raid the fridge. "That feels so good," he muttered to himself when the cool air of the refrigerator hit his bare chest. He'd just chosen a piece of cheesecake as his snack when an authoritative voice startled him. 

"What are you doing in here?" Whirling around, Dean found himself face to face with a man he'd never seen before. Sure he'd only been to town a few times since Audrey brought him to Woodnor, but Dean was a keen observer of his surroundings, especially in new places. He instinctively reached behind him for his gun, but then remembered that he'd just gotten out of the shower and so didn't have it on him. "I asked you what you're doing in here," the man said again, taking a threatening step closer. 

"I-I was just getting something to eat," the younger man explained haltingly, holding his hands out to the side in a disarming manner. 

"That's not what I was asking," the older man interrupted. "What I meant to say was what are you doing in my niece's house?" 

Dean didn't really know how to respond to that. Apparently, Audrey hadn't told her family that she'd brought a stranger home to live with her. Sure, he would never harm a hair on her head as long as she wasn't an evil creature, but he was still a stranger all the same. "Uh, I, I just-" 

"I want you out of here this instant," the man said. "And you better not come back." 

"But I-" 

"I told you to get out!" The man stepped even closer and was just about to reach for Dean when the front door opened with a bang. 

"Uncle Jack, what's going on?" Audrey shouted. She looked in angry confusion at the scene in her kitchen. There was a boy no older than eight cowering behind her in fear. 

"I came here to use your computer since mine's busted. I found this guy in your fridge and was just telling him to get out of here," the man, Jack, explained, turning a furious eye back on Dean. Dean just looked between the older man threatening him and the younger woman, unsure of what to do. Audrey approached him and put a gentle hand on his arm. 

"Dean, go to your room," she said calmly. "Take Tyler with you please. Find something to watch on TV or something. Just go on and get out of here. It's okay." Ever so slowly, Dean lowered his still raised arms and glanced at the child. Giving Audrey a nod, he started walking toward the hallway. Tyler followed quickly behind, eager to get out of the scary situation. Once she heard the bedroom door shut, Audrey turned on her uncle. "Was that really necessary?" she demanded. 

"How was I supposed to react to seeing a strange man standing in your kitchen half naked?" Jack responded, his tone just as harsh as Audrey's. "Who is he, and how do you know him? What's he even doing here?" 

"He lives here," Audrey answered. The young woman was livid. She had not wanted her family finding out about Dean, at least not like this. She was waiting for him to really be settled and comfortable before introducing him to her relatives. "He's been here for right at three weeks." 

"You mean to tell me that you've been living with a man that none of us knows for three weeks?" Jack couldn't believe his ears. 

"That's exactly what I mean," Audrey bit back. 

"You know you can't be having a man living in your house. Do you even know his last name? He could be a serial killer, or something even worse." 

"I met him when I went to that conference in Lawrence," said Audrey. "I found him hurt in the alley behind the hospital. He's got no home, no family, I don't think he even has any friends. I knew he needed help, so I brought him home with me. And yes, I know his last name. I saw it on his driver's license while we were at a diner on the way here." 

"You've done some pretty dumb things, Audrey," said Jack, shaking his head in disappointment, "but this has got to be the stupidest thing you've ever done." 

"He needed my help!" Audrey shouted. She took a deep breath and released it slowly through her nose. "I think he's a soldier, Uncle Jack." That gave the older man pause. "He's never said anything about actually being in the military, but the way he moves, the way he talks, everything about him just screams it. And the way his brother and friends died, they were fighting something. I don't know what or where, but Dean has survived some awful things. He's completely alone. I couldn't stand to leave him by himself in that alley." 

"I can't condone him living here with you," Jack insisted. "And I know your parents won't either." 

"Well, it's not up to you who I decide to bring into my house," Audrey argued. "If you want to tell Mama and Daddy, fine. But this is my home, and Dean's staying here with me. He needs a stable home, especially now when he's so vulnerable." 

"He didn't seem too vulnerable to me," said Jack. "In fact, when I caught him, he reacted as if to pull a pistol out of his jeans." 

"Which is probably what he was doing," Audrey said defensively. "See what I mean? Dean's got the instinct to defend. He didn't know who you were, or that you weren't a threat. He's only been to town with me twice since he's been here." 

"Then you should have set him up at a hotel," Jack countered. "He could be dangerous." 

"He's been here for three weeks, Uncle Jack. If Dean wanted to hurt me, he would have done it by now. He's had more than enough opportunities." Audrey stared her uncle down until it just got too much to handle. "He's staying here with me. He doesn't need to be alone." 

There was a finality to Audrey's tone that Jack couldn't argue with anymore. "Fine," Jack relented reluctantly. "You do whatever you want, but don't come crying to me when he hurts you." The man left no room for response and walked out of the house, slamming the door behind him. 

"So much for my business being my business," grumbled Audrey as she started washing and peeling a potato. She was unaware of anyone else in the room until she heard a throat clearing. Turning, she found Dean standing by the island. He'd put on a shirt since she last saw him. "Oh, Dean. I'm so sorry about my uncle. I had no idea he would even come over here. Is Tyler still in your room?" 

"Do you need me to leave?" asked Dean, ignoring the question. He seemed almost timid to Audrey, and his tone conveyed a vulnerability that he didn't show outwardly. "I don't want to cause any trouble with your family." 

"You're not leaving unless you really want to," Audrey assured him. "I'm not kicking you out of here. If you want to stay, then you stay right here. Forget what he has to say about it. This is your home now just as much as it is mine." She set a pot of water on the stove and started cutting the potato into pieces. 

"Actually," Dean began slowly, drawing the young woman's attention back to himself, "I was wondering if you knew any places that are looking for new employees." Audrey's eyes widened in surprise, the corners of her lips quirking in delight. "I can't ask you to continue supporting me like you've been the last few weeks. I know you don't mind me living here with you, but I don't want to be a burden." 

"Dean, I promise you, you're not a burden." Audrey dropped the rest of the vegetable in the water and turned back to Dean. Her hands reached out and grabbed his, as they had several times before. Since Dean had come to live with her, Audrey had discovered that the only form of comforting touch he was really okay with was holding his hands. The first time she'd tried to put an arm around him, he'd shied away. So she stuck with what she knew would help. "I really like having you here. It's a refreshing change of pace from my usual solitude or the occasional relative dropping by. If you want to work so you feel better about staying, then I would be glad to help you find a job. But please, don't let yourself feel like a burden anymore. Because that's not what you are." 

Dean was very quiet for a minute. He was fighting an internal battle. Growing up, Dean, Sam, and their dad hadn't stayed in one place for much longer than a month, and that was a long stay for them. And once he'd started hunting with Sam, their time in one town was reduced to a few days, maybe a week or two when the hunt proved to be extra difficult. Now, though, he'd been with Audrey for three weeks, right about the time they would be moving along. 

What was so surprising is that Dean didn't want to leave. He'd found he actually liked being settled in one place, which he hadn't known since he was four years old. He wasn't even feeling the itch to move, though it had only been a few weeks; he was still waiting for that to happen. But Dean was genuinely comfortable here in this cabin in the backwoods of Georgia. He couldn't say he was happy here, as he was still grieving and trying to get used to this new setting, but he could honestly say he was well on his way to content. "I want to stay here," he said resolutely. 

The beaming smile Audrey gave him made him feel a little self-conscious, and it took a lot of self control to hold her gaze. "That's great, Dean," she cheered. "I'll start asking around at work tomorrow. You want to work at a car shop or something like that?" Dean just shrugged a little, not quite sure how to answer. "Well, I'll see if any of the shops around Wayline are looking for a new mechanic. Sound good?" Dean nodded. "Alright then. Go on and get Tyler back in here. He can do his homework while we cook supper." 

As Dean walked back down the hall to his room, he mulled over the conversation that just transpired. He was going to get a job. He wasn't alone in his world anymore, not while he lived with Audrey. "Hey, Tyler," he said when he poked his head into the room. "Come on to the kitchen and work on your homework before dinner." The boy nodded and ducked past Dean to get to the hallway. Watching Tyler scurry through the house, Dean felt a peace he hadn't known in twenty-seven years. He was home.

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A/N: A little bit of conflict there in this chapter. Don't worry, things will get smoothed over. Don't forget to review! Thanks!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Yay! Chapter 5! I think you guys are going to like this chapter. Things start looking up for Dean and Audrey.

To my Guest reviewer: You're right. I completely forgot I even mentioned Chattanooga in this story. Thank you for correcting my mistake.

Quick note, the town Santa Claus that Dean mentions in this chapter is a real town in Georgia. I've been there. They have Christmas themed street names, which is awesome. All other cities or towns, though, are fictional.

Disclaimer: Does it look like I own Supernatural? I can barely make my loan payments every month. Why would I be able to afford to own such a successful series?

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"Hey, Dean. I'm back," called Audrey as she walked through the door after her shift at the hospital. She found the man in the kitchen, a pan of hamburger meat on the stove and diced tomatoes in a bowl. He was in the process of shredding some lettuce when he looked up at her. "Ooh, tacos, my favorite." He responded with a proud grin. "You'll never guess what I found out today at work." 

"You're getting transferred to Santa Claus and they want you to wear a sexy elf costume as your new uniform?" asked Dean. He had an innocently serious expression on his face, one that made Audrey take a second to realize he was only kidding. 

"Very funny," she chuckled, which escalated to a laugh when she saw the gleeful grin stretching Dean's lips. "No, I'm staying in Wayline. Actually, one of the other nurses I work with told me that his uncle is looking for a mechanic to work at his shop. I told him that you're good with cars, and he agreed to talk to his uncle." 

"You got me a job interview?" asked Dean, stunned. 

"It shouldn't be too hard for you to get the job," said Audrey confidently as she pulled plates and glasses out of the cabinet. "If all else fails, just let him look at the Impala. As well as you've taken care of that thing, it should be easy to convince him to hire you." 

"Hey, you watch your mouth when you talk about my baby," Dean retorted in jest, pointing a finger at her threateningly. "Baby is not a thing. She has feelings." Audrey just shook her head with silent laughter. "You make me think of Sam when you shake your head like that," he said softly. 

The sudden change in mood threw Audrey off, but she didn't mention it. She knew Dean needed to be able to express his thoughts without fear of judgement. It made her wonder what his childhood was like if he was so hesitant to speak his mind as an adult. "What was he like?" she asked cautiously. "I'm guessing you were close to him. Maybe it'll help to talk about him." 

Dean took a second to contemplate what she'd suggested. 'She could be right,' he reasoned with himself. 'Or it could bring nothing but pain and agony.' He figured the second possibility was the more likely. "No, I don't think I can right now," he said finally, not meeting Audrey's eyes. 

"Hey, that's fine," Audrey said reassuringly. Going back to her tried and true comfort method, she reached out a hand and interlaced her fingers with Dean's. "You don't have to talk about anything if you don't want to. Just know that if you ever do want to talk, I'm here." 

Dean nodded gratefully before releasing the younger woman's hand. "So besides the good news about the possible job, did the rest of your day go well?" He bent down to take taco shells out of the oven and set them on the stove. 

"Pretty well," answered Audrey. Now that the oven was unoccupied, she could put in those cinnamon rolls she'd been craving all day. "I have desert for us." She held up the can of cinnamon rolls and was amused by the bug-eyed expression Dean gave her. "Now let me get these in the oven so we can eat." 

The next day, Audrey came back home, again finding Dean in the kitchen making supper. "Wow, if I knew I'd get cooked for, I'd have brought home a stranger a long time ago," she joked. 

"You better not ever bring any strangers home with you again," Dean argued with a serious expression. "Not unless I'm with you. You lucked out when you found me. Anyone else might have hurt you or worse." 

Audrey was taken aback by his tone. It was commanding and yet at the same time... protective? 'Must be a military thing,' she thought. In the few weeks he had been living with her, Dean hadn't once raised his voice, whether at her or anybody else. It sparked a feeling of fear in her, though not for herself. Audrey didn't know what it was, but she just knew that Dean would never hurt her. But if anything came after her or someone he loved, they would regret it, if they lived that is. 

"Anyway," she said slowly, "I talked to that guy again today. He said his uncle is willing to give you an interview for a job." Dean's face lit up with the biggest smile she'd ever seen on his handsome face. "He said to meet him at his shop at 1:30 tomorrow." 

"Audrey, that's awesome," said Dean, still trying to wrap his head around the information he'd just been given. "Tell him I said thanks." 

The next day, Dean sat in the Impala outside of the old car repair shop on the edge of Wayline. It was 1:20, ten minutes before he was scheduled to meet this guy. "Walker," Dean reminded himself. "Marshall Walker." He couldn't help but cringe at the name Walker. After his few run ins with Gordon Walker, the young hunter was wary of anyone with that surname. "But," he had to remind himself, "same name doesn't mean same family. They could be completely unrelated." Steeling himself for whatever may be in store, Dean shut off the engine and got out of his car. 

There was a group of men milling around the yard, most of them around Dean's age or younger. "Can I help you?" one of them asked when he saw Dean approaching. He was one of the older men of the group. 

"Yeah, I'm looking for Mr. Walker," Dean answered. "I'm supposed to meet with him at 1:30." 

The man cracked a grin. "He'll like you," he said. "Walker likes people to be early. Go through that door there," he indicated the office, "then go through the door in the back. That's Walker's personal office." 

"Thanks," said Dean, and the man gave him a polite smile and nod of the head. Following the instructions he was given, Dean entered the office and knocked on the only door that didn't lead back outside. A gruff voice hollered for him to enter, and Dean opened the door slowly. "Mr. Walker?" he asked. 

Behind a nearly dilapidated desk sat a much older man. He was worn down by age, but Dean could still see a spark of life in his old eyes. And, Dean was relieved to see, there wasn't any relation to Gordon Walker. "Yeah. Come on in," the man said and waved Dean over. After shutting the door behind him, the younger man sat in one of the wooden chairs in front of the desk. "You the Winchester guy Mark was tellin' me about?" 

"Yes, sir," answered Dean. "You can call me Dean." 

"Dean," the older man held out a hand for the younger to shake. "Call me Marshall. I hear from Mark that you're pretty good with cars. What do you know about'em?" 

"Well, my dad was a mechanic, so he taught me everything he knew while I was growing up. I also spent a lot of time with my uncle, who owns his own salvage yard. What my dad didn't know, my uncle taught me." 

"I see," said Marshall thoughtfully. "So, you got the know-how. Got any experience?" 

"My car's outside," said Dean. A hint of pride touched his voice. "It's a 1967 Chevy Impala. My dad bought it before I was born, and I inherited it from him. Even rebuilt it from the chassis up after it got totaled in an accident." Despite the pride he felt for his baby, Dean couldn't help the twinge of sadness he felt when he recalled the accident that had led to his father's death. 

"Really now?" The old man seemed pleased by this news. "Well, I'd love to have a look at that after we're done here." The two men shared a smile of camaraderie before Marshall took in a deep breath. "Now, for the difficult questions." Dean just nodded. "Do you have any drug problems? Drinking problems? Any addictions?" 

"I won't lie, I've been a heavy drinker since I was a teenager," Dean confessed. "I didn't have the best life growing up. I barely even had a childhood. We lived on the road, I was the one to raise my brother, and we had a pretty stressful job. Sometimes, a fifth of whiskey was the only thing that could get us through the job and onto the next one." He sighed deeply, the sadness and loss taking their toll. "But since I moved here, I haven't had one drink. Not even a beer. Audrey won't have any alcohol in the house, and I haven't been in the frame of mind to go buy any. I can't explain it. And I don't smoke or use any other drugs." 

Marshall had a look on his face that said he was impressed. "Well, a past drinkin' problem don't bother me much, so long as it stays in the past." Dean agreed to this. "What about any arrests? Felonies? Any trouble with the law?" 

An uncomfortable look crossed the young man's face. 'This is where I get kicked,' he thought. "Uh," he started, unsure of how to proceed. "I've been arrested several times. But I haven't served any jail time. I was wanted for murder a few years ago, but that wasn't me. The guy just looked like me." Technically, it was true, but that didn't mean Dean was going to give his potential (though improbable) boss the details. 

"Well, it sounds like you've had an interestin' past," said Marshall. He kept up a blank expression, not giving the younger man a hint to what he was thinking. "But you didn't kill those people, right?" 

"Yeah," said Dean slowly. "I haven't killed anybody." 

"Alright, then," said Marshall, dismissing the subject just like that. "Well, Dean, it sounds like we might have a place for you here." The young man's face lit up, eliciting a small grin from the older man. "But I do have to be honest with you, Dean, and I feel better tellin' you this after hearing about your skill." Dean felt a little nervous, but of course he didn't show it. "I'm not exactly lookin' for a new employee to work here." The younger man felt his heart drop, but again, he didn't show it. "I'm actually lookin' for someone to take over the business." 

Dean's head snapped up, eyes widening as they met the older man's. "Really?" he asked, still in shock. Marshall nodded, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips. 

"Yeah," he said with a sigh. "In case you couldn't tell," he joked, "I'm not as young as I once was. It's gettin' harder to work at my age. I hadn't got any kids o' my own to hand the shop down to, an' Mark's no good with cars. I know the men workin' for me are good mechanics, but I know them, an' ain't a-one of'em's gonna want to run the place." 

"Now, I didn't tell anybody that I was lookin' for a new owner, 'cause I didn't want any young business men to come in an' ruin the place 'cause they don't know nothin' about cars. What I wanted was a good mechanic, someone that does know cars an' knows how to take care of'em. You got experience in a scrap yard, which makes me think you might be the man for the job. You interested?" 

Dean listened intently to what Marshall was telling him. He was excited by the amazing opportunity he was being handed, but at the same time it made him a little nervous. "Wow, Marshall. That's way more than I was expecting when I came here." The old man chuckled. "It's a fantastic offer, but I'm going to need a few days to think on it. I just moved here a few weeks ago, after living on the road my whole life, so I'm still trying to settle down and get used to being in one place." 

"Oh, absolutely," agreed Marshall. "No way would I want you to accept right away. That's just bad business sense. You go home an' think it over, pray about it. I don't want you havin' second thoughts after you've done taken the job. You call me and let me know when you got your answer." He scribbled down a phone number on a sticky note and handed it to Dean. "You take all the time you need to think about this, young man. I can tell you got a good head on your shoulders. You use it right, and you'll get your answer." 

"Thank you very much," said Dean gratefully. He held his hand out for another handshake. "I'll try to have an answer for you before the end of next week." 

"Alright then," said Marshall with a big smile on his wrinkled face. "Now, how's about we go look at that car'a yours?" He laughed at the grin that spread on the younger man's face, and the two left the office. 

When they got outside, Dean led him to the Impala. "This is my baby," he said proudly. 

"Whew," the older man whistled. "Ain't she a pertty thing? You say you rebuilt her?" Marshall lifted the hood and propped it up to inspect the car's internal mechanisms. 

"Yes, sir," said Dean. He put a loving hand on the roof of the car. "There's nothing that could make me give up this car." 

"I don't blame you, son," said Marshall in admiration. "She's a beauty, that's for sure. You did a good job puttin' her together." 

"It took a while, that's for sure," said Dean, feeling a little sad again. 

"You definitely got the job, son," said Marshall as he lowered the hood back into place. "If you wanna take it, that is. You go back home and talk to the missus about it, and I'll be waitin' to hear from you." Dean didn't contradict Marshall's assumption of his and Audrey's relationship, mainly because he didn't know how. So he just nodded in agreement. 

"Thank you again, Marshall," said Dean. The two shook hands one more time, then Marshall went back inside as Dean ducked into his car. As he drove back home, one thing Marshall had said kept replaying itself in his mind. "'The missus', huh?" he thought aloud with an amused smirk. "I wonder what Audrey would think about that."

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A/N: For anyone wondering, Audrey found the missus comment very amusing. I just didn't feel it was necessary to add to the story. But there's the answer for those that want it. Stay tuned for more to come. The next chapter's going to get a little emotional. No need for tissues, I don't think, but it's gonna get intense! Leave me a review, and thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thank you to everyone that reviewed! I love reading your comments and seeing what you think of the story. We've got some more OCs joining the cast. Hopefully they won't seem too blah. So, without further adieu, onward!

Disclaimer: Seriously? Again? Come on, guys, you should know this stuff by now. I don't own it!

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After discussing it with Audrey, Dean accepted the position as owner of Marshall's shop. He had to work there for a little while to get himself and the other workers used to each other, then Marshall gave Dean the reins. "Alright, son, here's the key," he said one Saturday afternoon. The men had closed up shop for the weekend, so he figured that would be the best time to bow out. "You take good care of the business, now. I don't wanna hear about it goin' out 'cause you let it go to crap." 

"No, sir," said Dean as he slid the key onto his keyring. "I'll definitely take good care of everything. I can't thank you enough for this opportunity, Marshall. It's more than I could have asked for." 

"You make sure you take care of that little lady, too," joked Marshall. "She seems like a keeper." 

"I probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for her," Dean confessed. "I owe her a lot." 

"Good luck to you, Dean," said Marshall. He held his hand out to Dean, and the two shook hands again. 

"Thank you, Marshall. You have a good one. Enjoy retirement." He handed the older man the last box containing his belongings and watched as he left in his old pickup truck. "Time to get home, I guess." Once he was sure the offices and garage doors had all been locked up, Dean got into his Impala and went home. 

When he got there, Dean found Audrey in the living room. "Hey, I'm home," he said cheerfully. 

Audrey looked up from the patchwork blanket she was stitching together to face her friend. "Hey, Dean. How was work today?" 

"Marshall officially put me in charge today," said Dean as he fixed a glass of water and joined the younger woman on the couch. "What'cha working on?" 

"A blanket for my cousin's baby," Audrey answered. "He's due in a couple months, so I wanted to go ahead and get the blanket finished for him." 

"It's looking nice," said Dean truthfully, fingering the soft material. 

"Listen, I wanted to ask you something," Audrey began, setting the blanket aside to give Dean her full attention. She continued at Dean's expectant look. "Next Saturday will be the 4th of July fireworks, and every year, my family gets together at this place my grandparents own to watch them. Would you like to go? Meet my family?" 

The offer took Dean by surprise. He sat in silence for several seconds, not knowing how to answer. "If you're not comfortable with it, it's perfectly fine," Audrey assured him, looking back down to her stitching. "We don't have to go if you're not ready. I just wanted to put the offer out there for you. If you decide you don't want to go, we can stay and watch the fireworks from here." 

Dean still sat in contemplation of the offer laid before him. Audrey didn't seem disappointed in the possibility of not going, but that didn't necessarily mean she wasn't. Though with the way she'd defended him against her uncle, Audrey might not be as close with her family as Dean was to his own. 'I don't want her to miss out,' he decided, watching her sew contentedly. 'And I've been working the last few weeks without too many problems. I can do this for Audrey.' He looked back up at the younger woman next to him. "I'll go with you," he said. His voice was a little shaky, but he was sure of his decision. 

He was rewarded with Audrey's winning smile, her eyes lighting up with glee. "That's great, Dean. You'll like my family, I'm pretty sure. I know you'll get along with the younger ones, at least." That made Dean feel slightly better, but he was still nervous at the prospect of meeting Audrey's family. 

'It feels like she's introducing her boyfriend to her family for the first time,' he couldn't help but think. 'Even though I'm not her boyfriend.' For a reason he couldn't pinpoint, the thought made Dean feel a smidge of disappointment. But it was gone before he could recognize it, and he thought nothing else of it. "So, what are we taking to this party?" 

A week later, Audrey and Dean arrived at at old building on the edge of town in the Impala. Audrey suggested they take it instead of her car in case Dean needed some familiarity. Dean was more thankful that he had all his weapons if the need for them arose, though Audrey's concern warmed his still healing heart. 

"Welcome to The Shed," Audrey's voice broke through his thoughts. He had been casing the exterior of the building and surrounding area, locating any possible exits or threats. The building before him wasn't what he'd been expecting. It, indeed, looked a little like a shed, though it was considerably bigger than what would be expected of a typical woodshed. The front double doors were metal and thick. There was another back door made of the same material. What really made Dean double take was the outhouse by the back door. 

"Ready to do this?" asked Audrey, unaware of what the man next to her was doing. 

Taking a deep breath, Dean turned to his friend. "Yeah, let's do this." 

Once out of the car, the two walked hand in hand toward the front door. Audrey could tell Dean was nervous, so she'd threaded her fingers through his. Though he didn't say anything, Dean relished in the comfort. When they got to the porch, their hands separated and Audrey opened the door to a group of at least twenty adults and close to ten kids. "Hey everybody!" she called. Suddenly, the room erupted in a roar of greetings. Audrey just held her arms out and bowed dramatically, as if she were a performer on a stage. When she straightened, she tugged Dean to her side. "This is Dean!" 

Choruses of "hey, Dean" rang out after the lacking introduction, taking the newcomer aback. He only responded by waving awkwardly at everyone in the room, then everybody went back to their previous conversations. "It's like an episode of Cheers in here," Dean commented to Audrey as he followed her to the kitchen. 

"Pretty much," Audrey agreed with a laugh. "Hey, Mama," she greeted an older woman, who really didn't look quite old enough to have a daughter in her mid twenties. "Dean and I brought pie. His idea." 

"Great!" the woman said cheerfully. "Just put them over on this counter with the cake. We'll let people cut them when they want some." As soon as their hands were empty, Audrey was gathered in a tight hug. To Dean's surprise, he got one as well. "Now, introduce me to Dean." Audrey's mom had a pleasant and welcoming smile on her face, but Dean could tell she was expecting a little more than an introduction, and she wanted it now. 

Audrey took a deep breath. "This is Dean Winchester," she introduced. "Dean, this is my mama, Margie Dawson." At the same second, a man who looked a little older approached them. "And this is my daddy, James Dawson." 

"Nice to meet you," James said politely, holding his hand out for a handshake. "How did you two meet?" 

"Yeah," said a new voice, "and how come we haven't heard anything about him before?" Dean saw it belonged to a woman around his age. She looked a little like Audrey, but not much. 

"And this is my older sister, Nina," said Audrey in annoyance. "And I was about to say that before you interrupted." Nina didn't even bother to look ashamed. The younger sister sighed. "How much did Uncle Jack tell you?" 

That changed the mood in a heartbeat. The older ones of their group suddenly exuded expectancy for an explanation and disappointment in her decisions. "He told us that you had a young man living with you," said Margie. "We expected more from you, Audrey." 

"Okay, I know what you guys are thinking, but, trust me, that's not what it is." She exchanged glances with Dean. "Let's all go outside. I really don't want to explain all this with everybody here. Someone go find Keith." Audrey took Dean's hand again and dragged him back outside. 

Through their connection, Dean could feel that Audrey was scared. She was seeking comfort from him the same way she offered it. 'I can do better than this,' Dean thought, and he slowly drew his hand away and draped his arm around Audrey's shoulders. The younger woman was shocked; it was the first time he'd allowed any kind of close contact, much less initiated it. Nevertheless, she was grateful for the gesture and leaned into his side. "Who's Keith?" Dean asked lightly. 

"My brother," Audrey answered softly. "He's the oldest out of the three of us." She breathed a shaky sigh, then she started rambling. "I don't even know how to explain this to them. I don't know why. I mean, we haven't done anything wrong, have we? Have I done something wrong? I know we shouldn't be living together since we're not married, but you were all by yourself, you didn't have anywhere to go. What was I supposed to do-" 

Dean cut her off by putting his hand over her mouth. "Audrey, calm down. No need in killing yourself. Can you be calm and quiet?" Audrey nodded, and Dean moved his hand from her lips. "Just tell them what you told Jack that day. Tell them what you just said. Just tell them the truth, okay?" Audrey nodded jerkily. "You can tell them everything," Dean said hesitantly. 

"Even about the guns in the trunk?" the younger woman asked. It drew a smirk out of both of them. 

"Except the guns," amended Dean. "We don't want to scare them." They shared a light chuckle before getting serious again. Dean lifted a hand to Audrey's cheek, stroking the smooth skin under her eye. "If you tell them the truth, we'll be okay." 

"Alright, lovebirds," came Nina's sarcastic voice, making the younger couple jump and Dean's hand to fall to Audrey's shoulder. "We found Keith. Ready to tell us what's up?" Looking to the side, Dean and Audrey saw her family approaching them, a man in his early thirties with them. 

After exchanging glances once more, Audrey breathed a deep sigh, steeling herself for what was to come. "Alright, here's what happened." 

She told them everything. About Lawrence, finding Dean in the alley, why she decided to bring him home with her. She told them everything that had happened since Dean had moved in with her. What she didn't tell them was Dean's struggles at night, the nightmares that plagued him. She didn't tell them about the pain he tried to hide on a daily basis. And she didn't say anything about the weapons in the trunk of the car that was parked not far from where they stood. 

When all had finally been said, the Dawson family was left in silence. "Now you know," Audrey concluded. "So, Nina, you can stop glaring at Dean like he's a dirty old man." All eyes turned to the older sister, who didn't even bother to hide her guilt. "Let's all go back inside now, please, before the whole night gets ruined for me." The rest of the group decided this was a good idea. 

As they rejoined the rest of the family, Audrey couldn't help but feel annoyed. 'Do they really think that badly of me?' she wondered. 'I mean, sure, I was with Darren for several years, and we were closer than we should've been. But, come on! I'm still a virgin, for Heaven's sake! Why would I suddenly be shackin' up with an older man? And he's only five years older than me. That's not even weird.' Due to her internal rant, Audrey didn't even notice she was back inside until Dean shoved a plate full of pie into her hands. 

"Earth to Audrey!" he said loudly, finally bringing her back to the present. Her wide eyes snapped to his amused ones as he gave her a smirk. "What's going on in that brainy head of yours?" 

"Nothing," Audrey answered a little sullenly. "Just a little inner monologuing. Thanks for the pie." Dean wondered about this, but he didn't say anymore on the subject, as Tyler's familiar form bounded to him and crushed him into a hug. 

As the night wore on, the sky grew darker and darker, approaching the time scheduled for fireworks. Dean was mildly excited for the fireworks, how couldn't he be? But at the same time, he felt a twinge of sadness. 

Every year, if they didn't have a hunt, Dean and Sam celebrated Independence Day together. Some of Dean's most treasured memories were of him and Sam sneaking out to an empty field, box of illegal fireworks in the trunk of the Impala, and lighting them up. Those were some of the most peaceful times for the boys, and Dean missed it. 

"Hey, Dean," a voice called, breaking the man out of his reminiscing. He turned to see Audrey standing by the door holding a blanket and a few pillows. "Come on, it's almost time for fireworks." With a sigh, he followed the younger woman out to the front yard, where everyone else had gathered and started setting out blankets and chairs. "Tyler asked me if he can watch the fireworks with us tonight. I figured you'd be alright with that." 

Once everyone was settled, conversation filled the air in anticipation of the display. Dean was turned slightly on his side so that he could look up at the sky without straining his neck. Tyler was snuggled into his side, and Audrey was next to Tyler, her arm curved over his shoulder to reach Dean. 

Tyler was in the middle of talking about his latest comic book when the first explosive took off. The noise made Dean jump, as he wasn't expecting it so suddenly, but he relaxed when he saw the bright green burst. It wasn't the same as the fireworks he would steal for himself and Sam, but these were still nice. Two more went off, filling the night sky with blasts of blue and purple. Dean was genuinely enjoying himself, despite the fact that he was trying not to react to the loud noises. 

It was the next rocket that cause Dean to lose some of his composure. It burst into a blaze of red and gold, and the subsequent boom shook him. 'Calm down, Dean,' he chastised himself. 'They're just fireworks. They're not going to hurt you.' Another one went off, this one orange. Three more. Red, yellow, orange. All of them with tails of gold. The colors all blurred together, creating shapes and patterns in Dean's mind that weren't displayed in the air. Shapes and images he had hoped to never recall. Voices he'd hoped never to remember. 

Dean tensed and squeezed his eyes shut, willing the traumatic memories to disappear. He didn't realize he was shaking. He didn't notice the pinks, blues, greens, and other colors splashing across the night sky. All he knew was that he had to get out of there. "Au-Audy," his voice cracked. He reached a hand towards the younger woman and grasped her wrist tightly. "Audrey." 

"Dean, are you okay?" Audrey asked worriedly. She got her answer when she saw and felt how badly Dean was shaking. "Oh my goodness. Tyler, go find your parents, baby. I have to take Dean home." 

"Why?" asked Tyler as he stood up. "Is he okay?" 

"He'll be alright," assured Audrey. She tried to block out the fear in Dean's eyes as she pulled him up by his hands. "He just needs to go on home. I'll see if you can come over and hang out with Dean in a couple days." She gave the boy a reassuring smile, and once he'd left, she turned back to Dean. "Come on, let's go." 

Audrey recognized Dean's reaction as post-traumatic stress. She'd seen lots of patients who suffered from it, and she knew how debilitating it could be. After snaking the keys out of Dean's pocket, she drove them both home and helped Dean into bed. He was still shaking, but it wasn't as bad now that he was away from the fireworks. 

"I'll go get you something to drink," the young nurse said soothingly once she'd tucked Dean under the blankets. She carded her fingers through his hair once before standing to leave. Before she could get to the door, however, a hand stopped her. 

"Don't leave," a sob-broken voice pleaded. Audrey felt her heart shatter at the sound of the vulnerability Dean was exuding. "Please don't leave me," he begged. 

"It's okay, Dean," the younger woman said soothingly. Though they'd never been so close before, Audrey settled herself under the comforter and pulled Dean into her arms. "You're safe, Dean. I won't let anyone hurt you." Her slim fingers threaded through the man's short hair ever so slowly as she started to hum one of her favorite songs. 

It took a long while for Dean to calm down. Her warm arms made him feel safe, as if nothing could get to him, and the rumble of her chest under his ear was comforting, grounding him in the moment. He couldn't really understand what Audrey was saying, but right before he drifted to sleep, he thought he heard her hum the words Hey, Jude. 

Audrey was relieved when she felt Dean fall asleep. 'He needs the peace of a deep, uninterrupted sleep,' she mused. Though she knew she would have to get up soon and go to her own bed, Audrey couldn't resist staying for just a little while longer. 

When she finally got up and settled Dean on his pillow, Audrey ran her fingers through his hair one more time. "Rest well," she whispered and left a soft kiss on his temple, "my beautiful soldier."

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A/N: There's where the name of the story comes from. I hope you like Audrey's family. They'll be making a few more appearances through the story. Don't forget to review! Thanks!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Greetings, readers! Good to see you again. I'm so glad you've decided to join me for chapter 7. We've got lots of feels ahead in this chapter, so, as Scar recommends, be prepared! There's also a little surprise at the end. I think you'll all like it.

I forgot to mention this in the last chapter, so I'll say it here. Many, many thanks to LaughingLadyBug for help with chapter 6. The 'dirty old man' line and Audrey's inner monologue came from her wonderful mind. Thanks a million, LLB!

Disclaimer: I'm sick of this. Really. It's like pouring salt in the wound every time I have to say I don't own Supernatural. *crosses arms in a huff*

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The next morning, Dean woke up in a fog. He knew what this fog was, as he'd woken up in that same fog countless times. It was brought on by crying himself to sleep the night before. 'I hate waking up like this,' he thought sullenly as he got out of bed. He didn't bother with the shower, he just wasn't up to it yet, and meandered to the living room. 

On the couch sat Audrey, a picture of peace and domesticity as she sat working on the baby blanket in her lap. She had on her work scrubs, so Dean assumed she was scheduled to work that morning. "Morning," he said softly. He was hesitant to face her after his episode at her family's house. 

"Hey, Dean," Audrey smiled up at him. "How are you this morning?" Dean merely shrugged one shoulder, not really wanting to be reminded of how weak he'd been, and in front of her family, no less. "Come sit." She set the blanket aside for Dean, who flopped onto the couch next to her. "You want to tell me what happened last night?" she asked gently. 

'No, of course not,' was Dean's first bitter thought. But then he had to rethink. The kind, giving, beautiful young woman in front of him had done more for him than anyone, bar Sam and Bobby. She'd given him a home, gotten him a job, and brought him into her family. And after rescuing him once again when the fireworks brought back memories of Hell, Dean knew he had to repay her by being honest, at least a little. "I don't want to," he began cautiously, "but I will. I owe you that much." 

"Dean, stop," Audrey protested. "You don't owe me anything at all." 

"I do owe you an explanation for last night," the older man insisted. Receiving the go ahead from Audrey, Dean launched into his partially true story. "In case you haven't noticed," he began sarcastically, "I've been through a lot. My brother, my surrogate father, and my best friend have been fighting a war for years now. I can't tell you much about it, but the year before last, I was captured and held captive for four months. I was tortured everyday for three months, and that torture was just as psychological as it was physical. I was cut, burned, ripped open in ways you couldn't even understand. I heard my brother's voice calling to me. I screamed for him, but he never answered." Tears filled Dean's eyes, and he flinched when he felt Audrey's hand slip into his own. "And everyday of that torture, I was surrounded by fire. All day long, until night came. Then it was so dark, I couldn't see my own hand in front of my face." The tormented soul was lost in memories for a minute, silence reigning as he remembered. Then he seemed to shake himself out of the reverie. "The red and orange fireworks brought that back," he concluded. 

There was more silence for several minutes as Dean tried to reign in his composure and Audrey absorbed all she'd been told. One piece of Dean's monologue stood out to her. "You said you were held captive for four months, but you were tortured for three," she spoke gently. "What happened during the fourth month?" 

"Th-the one that had me, Alistair, he took special pleasure in ripping me apart. He was a creative monster. I can't even tell you all the things he did to me; it would kill you just to hear it." Dean took a deep, shaky breath. 'She's going to make me leave,' he thought, terrified. "At the end of everyday, he gave me the same offer: he'd put down the blade if I picked it up." Audrey gasped in a breath, but she didn't say anything. "I held out for three months. It felt more like thirty years. But I finally gave up. I couldn't do it any longer. I broke, and I said yes to Alistair." He clenched his eyes in shame, hot tears squeezing out between his tense eyelids and streaming down his face. "I tortured those souls for a whole month before Cas rescued me, and I ended up starting a whole new war." 

"You can't possibly think you're the one to blame, Dean Winchester," said Audrey tearfully. She took hold of Dean's other hand and held them both tightly. "You went through all of that for so long, how could anyone think that you would be able to keep enduring it indefinitely?" 

Dean shook his head. "I should've been able to," he insisted. "I was trained better than that. I was trained to withstand anything, and I caved after only three months." 

"No, not 'only three months'," protested Audrey. "Nobody would have withstood torture like you just described for a full three months. You have no idea how strong that is." 

"If I was really strong, I wouldn't have broken at all," said Dean. He was closing up, Audrey could tell. He truly didn't believe how strong he really was, and it broke the younger woman's heart. "I would have held out for another month. I hurt all those people. Audrey, I hurt those people," he cried. The dam finally burst, and the tears flooded. Audrey pulled the broken man into her arms and held him for all she was worth. Dean wrapped his arms tightly around her small waist, clinging to her like the lifeline she was. 

As he cried, Audrey could see just how young Dean really was. 'He's only 31 for crying out loud,' she thought as his sobs wracked both their bodies. Behind Dean's back, Audrey picked up her phone and sent a text to her supervisor at the hospital, stating she would need to take the day off for personal reasons. After what he'd just told her, she didn't want the man to be alone. 

The clock on the wall ticked on as Dean cried out all the tension he'd been feeling since reliving Hell the night before. Audrey just held him close, murmuring soothing words into his ear and twining her fingers through the short hairs on the nape of his neck. Nearly 45 minutes later, Dean's heart-wrenching sobs had diminished to sniffles and a few wayward tears escaping their ducts. "Why don't you come to church with me this morning?" Audrey suggested softly. "I've taken the day off to spend with you, so what do you say?" 

"No," Dean answered without hesitation. He shook his head frantically, and Audrey could feel the scared tension return to his muscles. "No, I don't want to go." 

"Okay, okay," she soothed, relieved to feel him relaxing again. "We don't have to go. It's alright, Dean. We'll stay home today." Audrey continued to hold Dean long after he'd finally calmed down. She didn't know why he'd decided to stay in her arms, but she was grateful that he had. She didn't want him to deal with his memories on his own. 

"I never thanked you for everything you've done for me," mumbled Dean, voice muffled by Audrey's shoulder and his crying. 

"You don't have to thank me," Audrey replied just as softly and leaned her head against Dean's. Dean subconsciously nuzzled into her chin, relishing the warmth and safety he felt. It was just as he'd remembered from last night. "I do it because I care." 

"No one's ever cared for me like this before except Bobby," confessed Dean. "All Sammy and I really had growing up was each other and the Impala. Our dad was never home, and our mom died when I was four." 

"Don't think about that right now, Dean," said Audrey, tightening her hug. "How about I make you some breakfast and we watch a movie?" The older man smiled. That sounded like a good idea to him. With an extra squeeze, Audrey let Dean go. "How's pancakes sound?" 

"Sounds amazing," Dean answered. Audrey was relieved to see that he was much more cheerful than earlier. "I'm gonna go get a shower too. Be back in a little bit." 

"Alright, I'll have your food ready for you," said Audrey, and she disappeared into the kitchen. 

As he showered, Dean contemplated everything that had transpired that morning. "I told her too much," he berated himself. "How is she not kicking me to the curb by now? Doesn't seem real that she'd just let me stay here after knowing everything. At least I didn't tell her about the family business. Then she really would've gotten rid of me." 

After getting clean and dressed, Dean went to the kitchen, where he found Audrey singing I've Got A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts and setting a plate full of pancakes on the table. "Here you go," she said happily. 

"You've got a lovely bunch of coconuts?" Dean quoted as he sat down at the table. He bowed his head to say a quick prayer over the meal before digging in. 

"I do," Audrey quipped back. "They're all standing in a row." Dean shook his head with laughter, enjoying the peace he hadn't know in more than twenty years. 

Their down time was interrupted, however, when they heard loud barking outside. "What in the world?" asked Audrey as she hurried to look out the window. Dean was up in a second and had his gun drawn, just in case the commotion was something dangerous. 

Looking out the window, they both saw a group of dogs surrounding something small, trying to get at it. "Who has dogs around here?" Dean asked. He didn't want to have to explain to anybody why he shot their dogs. 

"I think those are the Landons' dogs," said Audrey. "They live a ways down the road." 

"You stay in here," Dean ordered lowly. Stepping outside, Dean raised his gun and aimed it at the rowdy animals. He saw what looked like a kitten in the epicenter of the fray. "Hey!" he shouted forcefully. He fired into the ground a few feet in front of the dogs, intending to scare them off. Sure enough, as soon as they heard the shot, the dogs ran off the property, high-tailing back to their own home. 

Once the dogs were gone, Dean stepped closer to the tiny wounded animal. It wasn't a kitten. It was a baby red fox. "It's safe, Audrey," he yelled towards the house. "Come here," he then said gently to the injured animal. "It's alright, you're safe now." Scooping up the fox into his hands, Dean turned to face Audrey. "They were attacking a baby fox," he said calmly. 

"Bring him inside and put him on the table." Audrey held the door open for Dean to enter the kitchen. "Is he hurt?" 

"I don't think he's hurt too bad," said Dean once he had the fox on the table. "He's mostly just dirty and scared. He's shaking like an addict." Audrey decided she didn't want to know how Dean knew that. "Get a washcloth, please, and some warm water to clean him up." Audrey did as asked, and when she returned, she also had a big towel. 

"Alright, little guy," she said softly. "Let's get you cleaned up." Ever so gently, the nurse dipped the washcloth into the water and dabbed the dirt from the fox's fur. Dean sat next to her and held the little fox, keeping him calm while Audrey worked. "I'll check him over for injuries too. I may not be a vet, but I know enough about tiny bones to tell if something's broken." The examination only took a few minutes, and once that was over, the little fox was calm and quiet. "He's just fine," determined Audrey, and she sat back and watched Dean and the fox with a smile. 

There was just a hint of a grin on Dean's face as he snuggled the fox to his chest, and his fingertips combed through the course fur lovingly. "Why don't we keep him?" Audrey suggested. Dean looked at her as if she were nuts. "Why not? He's helpless and alone. Did you see any other foxes out there in the woods?" Dean shook his head. "So let's keep him. He could use a home, and we could use a pet." 

"Alright, then," chuckled Dean. "What are we gonna call him?" 

"Miso," said Audrey. Dean raised an eyebrow. "Miso is a Japanese seasoning used to make miso soup. His fur is about the same color. So I thought it would be a cute name." 

Dean laughed and shook his head. "Only you would name a pet after food." Audrey just shrugged and smiled shamelessly. "Okay, welcome to your new home, Miso."

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A/N: I loved the idea of giving them a pet, and an exotic pet, especially for Dean, was too good an idea to pass up. Thanks go to OtakuShuichi for Miso's name. Arigatou, Shu! Don't forget to review, guys! Thanks so much for reading.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Okay, people, prepare to love me. I got really impatient, so I've decided to post chapter 8 early! Yay! Yeah, I just didn't feel like waiting any longer. I know some of you are looking forward to what's happening in this chapter. ;) There will also be a little semi-cameo appearance by someone I think we're all missing. Enjoy my good readers!

Disclaimer: I will glare at you until you get the message... Okay, fine, I'll say it. I don't own Supernatural. Happy?

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It didn't take long at all for Miso to become part of the family. He quickly learned who Audrey and Dean were, and he greeted them at the door everyday when they got home from work. His owners figured out that their new friend would eat just about anything he thought smelled good, so they didn't bother buying any food for him. Instead, they gave Miso bits and pieces of the food they cooked for lunch and supper.

Dean was loving this. He loved his new life more than he ever thought he could. He had a real home and a job, he had a pet, which he'd never had, and he had Audrey. Dean really didn't know how to describe what he felt for Audrey. The young woman had saved him from his grief and loneliness, possibly even from death. He was grateful to her, to be sure. However, Dean felt it was more than that.

In his heart, the hunter knew he cared deeply for the younger woman. As he'd told her that day after the Fourth of July fiasco, she was the only person besides Sam and Bobby to care for him as she did. Dean was grateful for everything Audrey had given him, but gratitude still didn't come close to describing what his growing feelings for her were.

"If Sammy were here, he'd tell me what I was feeling in a heartbeat," mused Dean as he stirred the pot of chili on the stove. "Whether I wanted to hear it or not."

"Hey, handsome," Audrey's cheerful voice interrupted his thoughts. The sight of her nearly made Dean's knees quake. She was wearing cut off shorts with one of his AC/DC t-shirts. "Lindy called me about five minutes ago asking if I can come get Tyler. His daddy got hurt, so she's got to take him to the hospital. She doesn't know how long they'll be, so I said he can spend the night. I'll be back in about half an hour."

Dean was thankful when she finally walked out the door. For some reason, the sight of Audrey in his shirt made Dean's heart skip a beat. "That's got to be one of the hottest things I've ever seen," he huffed to himself, trying to remember how to breathe.

'And the most beautiful,' a little voice in the back of his head whispered. He thought it sounded suspiciously like Sam. 'Seriously, Dean. You know what you're feeling for Audrey.'

"Then what is it?" Dean asked himself out loud. Part of his brain was vaguely glad he was by himself, but the rest of his brain wasn't aware of that part. "Seriously, if you know what it is, then why won't you tell me?"

'Because the second I do, you'll deny it with everything you've got,' the Sam-like voice snarked knowingly. Dean could just see his little brother's smug smirk, the one he gave when he knew he was right.

Darn it, Dean knew when he was beaten. But that didn't mean he was going to admit it, whether Sam was in his head or not. "Fine, think what you want. While you do that, I'm going to finish Bobby's Five Alarm chili."

Dean's biggest concern, though, was whether he should reveal who he was to Audrey. He wanted very much to let her into his life, as she'd let him into hers. 'But our world is too dangerous,' he worried. 'It's bad enough that I even came here, let alone decided to live here. But to introduce her to the supernatural...' Dean didn't know what kind of decision to make. So he put it off to think about another day.

Unbeknownst to Dean, Audrey was having a similar conversation with her own head. "Every time I see him cooking," she muttered and banged her forehead against the steering wheel. "Something about that good-looking man in the kitchen makes me weak in the knees. And, man, can he cook! His tacos have got to be the best I've ever had." As she drove, the young woman reflected on all her favorite memories of Dean. The one that stood out most was the afternoon she, Dean, and Tyler went to the lake together.

Dean had been so caring of Tyler, but at the same time, he was a friend to him. She recalled the older man teaching the boy how to bait a fishing hook, and the memory made Audrey smile. With their blond hair spiked similarly and the way Dean interacted with Tyler, Audrey couldn't help but see a father with his son. It was such a beautiful moment, the young woman had to take a picture of them, which she'd then set as the background on her phone.

"Oh crap," said Audrey as her eyes widened. "I'm falling for the guy!" She hit her head against the steering wheel again, watching the road through the spaces in the wheel while she kept her head in place. "That would happen to me. I bring a guy home because he's all alone in the world. He's got PTSD and a trunk full of weapons. He hasn't told me much of anything about how he grew up, and I fall for him. Good going, Audy."

After getting Tyler and returning home, the three friends had a leisurely supper together. Once the kitchen had been cleaned, the boys went to the living room to watch a movie. "I'm gonna go take a shower," announced Audrey. She got a distracted grunt from Dean, but that was it. With a fond smile, the young woman went down the hall to the bathroom.

Hot water sprayed down onto Audrey, washing the day off her skin. As she hummed pleasantly, relaxing in the warm comfort, she didn't notice the leering eyes peeping into the window. It wasn't until the window shattered and a figure flew through it into the bathroom that the young woman noticed anything was amiss. Audrey screamed and turned to see who had broken in, and the man she saw wasn't like any man she'd ever seen. "Get out!" she yelled.

"I will in a little while," sneered the stranger, and a second set of sharp, uneven teeth appeared over his human ones. "But first, I need a drink." The vampire lunged at Audrey and threw her to the floor, the glass cutting into her back. The younger woman screamed Dean's name, her eyes clenching shut as the stranger's mouth neared her throat.

The fangs were a hair away from puncturing Audrey's skin when a gunshot banged through the room. The man that had Audrey pinned jumped out of the way with inhuman speed, narrowly dodging the bullet. "Audrey, go to my car and bring me a machete," instructed Dean as he tossed her a towel. "Now!" Without a second thought, the terrified young woman fled the house, grabbing the Impala's keys on the way, and quickly unlocked the trunk. It didn't take long to open up the false bottom, but Audrey found three machetes mixed in the assortment of weapons. Time was of the essence, so she just grabbed the longest one and ran back in.

"Dean!" she called and found him grappling with the assailant in the living room. The hunter held out a hand, and Audrey threw him the machete. He caught the handle expertly and landed a fist in the intruder's chin. The momentum threw the attacker off, giving Dean time to scramble to his feet.

As she watched the fight, Audrey could see a change come over Dean. No longer was he the caring, goofy guy that she'd befriended, and he wasn't anything like the broken shell she'd found in Lawrence and brought home. This man before her was a warrior, all rigid muscles and hard eyes. This man was dangerous, and Audrey was so grateful he wasn't targeting her.

With movements too quick for Audrey to follow, the intruder jumped toward Dean again, aiming to tackle him to the floor again. Dean was ready for him, however, and the second he was close enough, he brought the machete down on the attacker's neck, severing his head from his body. Blood sprayed all over Dean, covering his clothes and splashing his face. The deadly gleam in his eye terrified Audrey for a minute before she remembered that the man had just saved her life.

Once the frenzy of the fight had died down, Dean remembered where he was and met Audrey's gaze. "Are you alright?" he asked, voice hard but shaky. Audrey nodded with jerky movements. "I made Tyler take Miso and hide in my closet."

"O-okay," Audrey stammered. She couldn't take her eyes off the blood-soaked man standing before her. "W-wh... what was that thing?" she whispered. "He had f-fangs. Dean, he had fangs! What was he!?"

"Calm down, Audy," Dean said soothingly. The younger woman was shaking where she stood, the towel wrapped carelessly around her threatening to fall off.

The younger woman's eyes widened frighteningly. "Calm down?! A fanged freak just broke into my house, attacked me in the shower, and then you cut his head off! How am I supposed to calm down?!"

Not knowing anything else to do, Dean stepped closer and wrapped her in a hug. "I know, Audy," he whispered lowly. Audrey's shaking settled into a tremble, and she broke down in his arms. "You're alright, and Tyler's safe. That thing won't be able to hurt you again."

"What was he, Dean?" Audrey whimpered. "I'm a nurse. I may work the pediatrics ward, but I've worked the ER, OR, and tons of other positions in the hospital. I've never seen anything like that. What was that thing?"

Dean closed his eyes and sighed deeply. 'Just what I didn't want,' he thought regretfully. "He was a vampire," he finally told her.

Audrey stiffened and pulled away. "A-a vampire?" she repeated incredulously. Dean looked away and nodded hesitantly. "But vampires aren't real! And even if he was a vampire, why'd you cut off his head? Aren't you supposed to stake'em through the heart? Fend'em off with garlic? What was that about?"

"Most vampire lore that people know is wrong," explained Dean. "They're not affected by garlic and crucifixes, and a stake through the heart will just make it mad. You can temporarily stun them with dead man's blood, and sunlight weakens them, but the only way to kill'em is decapitation."

"Vampires are actually real," Audrey muttered. Her brain was struggling to process all the information she'd been given, but it wasn't easy. "If vampires are real, what else is?"

Dean sighed again and looked to the floor. "Everything except Bigfoot and aliens," he admitted. "Werewolves, ghosts, witches, shapeshifters, demons and... angels. They're all real."

"Well, I already knew demons and angels are real," said Audrey. "God created the angels when He created the rest of the universe, and then when Lucifer was banished, a third of Heaven's angels fell with him and became demons. But I don't see how everything else is real. They're just myths."

"Trust me, Sweetheart," bit Dean. "They're real. I've been fighting them since I was a kid."

"But God's been in control for all of eternity," said Audrey. "He's the only one that can decide when the world will end."

"That may be what happened back then, but that's not how it is now," said Dean bitterly. "Demons are still killing for no reason. They just enjoy it. But they've been plotting with the angels for decades to bring on the apocalypse."

"That can't be," argued Audrey. "Only God can decide when the apocalypse can happen."

"Well, Chuck decided to come down to Earth and write books," growled Dean, recalling the first time he met Chuck Shurley. "So I sell my soul for Sam and end up torturing souls in Hell because I could only handle the torture for three months. I started the breaking of seals, and Sam broke the last one, which started the apocalypse. Now, Heaven's a wreck, Hell's running rampant all over Earth, and both of my baby brothers are burning in the Cage with Lucifer and Michael to save a planet that didn't even know it was about to be destroyed."

The silence was deafening. Audrey was completely stunned; she had no idea how to respond to Dean's revelation. But she didn't get a chance as a sudden stinging pain flared in her back. Her hiss of discomfort broke Dean out of his daze. "Audrey?" he called as he watched her knees buckle. "Whoa, whoa, I gotcha. It's alright, I gotcha. Tyler!" A minute later, the boy peeked hesitantly into the living room. "It's safe, Tyler. I need you to get my green duffel bag out from the cabinet under the sink and bring it to Audrey's room. Can you do that for me, Champ?" Tyler nodded and dashed back down the hall. "Alright, Audy, you're okay. Let's get you to bed."

Movement aggravated Audrey's injuries, but Dean tried to put off carrying her as best he could to avoid worsening them. Once in her room, Dean helped her settle on the bed. "Lie down on your stomach," he instructed gently. "Is it your back?" Audrey nodded, eyes clenched in pain. "Okay, just lie down. I'll take care of it."

"Hospital?" she asked shakily. Dean unwrapped the towel from her chest and draped it over her rear.

"Sorry, but I don't think a hospital's a good idea. I can patch you up just as well as any doctor." When he saw her back, however, the hunter trailed off. Her back was covered in tiny cuts, pieces of glass imbedded in her skin, and there was a cut, several inches long, stretching across her right shoulder. "Audrey, I need you to tell me right now if you got any of the vamp's blood on your back," demanded Dean. He leaned in front of her and started looking at her eyes.

"I don't think so," replied Audrey. "Why?"

"What are you seeing?" asked Dean, ignoring her question. "Do things look weird at all? Is the light hurting your eyes? What about sounds? Are they loud? Deafening?"

"No, my back's just killing me," the injured woman answered impatiently. "Can you either fix me up or take me to the hospital please?"

"You let me know the second you start getting light and sound sensitive," Dean ordered as Tyler entered the room. "Thanks, Tyler. Go back to my room and watch some TV. My computer's in there, so you can get on there, too. Just make sure you stay out of the living room. Keep Miso out of there, too. Trust me, Champ, you do not want to go in there. As soon as I patch up Audrey, I'll come check on you, okay?" The little boy nodded obediently and scurried out the door.

"Okay, Audrey, this is gonna sting," said Dean as he uncorked a bottle of whiskey. "But I've got to sterilize those cuts." Very carefully, he poured the liquor onto the wounds, drawing a strained groan out of Audrey. "You alright, Audy?" Another shaky nod was followed by a few tears. "I'm going to be as careful as I can, but it's still going to hurt. Take a swig of this." Before Audrey could protest, the whiskey bottle was pressed to her lips, and she took a big swallow of the strong drink.

"Oh my gosh," she rasped as the alcohol burned her throat. "How do people drink this stuff?"

"You've never had whiskey?" Dean asked conversationally as he gave her another drink.

"Never even had a beer," said Audrey. "I don't like alcohol. And this definitely isn't going to make me want to."

"At the very least, it'll help numb you," said Dean. "Trust me, I speak from experience." Once the whiskey had started to take effect, Dean added a little more to the alcohol used to sterilize the wounds and started picking out glass. "So," he began slowly, watching for her reaction, "how are you processing everything I told you?"

"I'm more concerned with the beheaded body staining my living room floor," Audrey slurred. Her voice was muffled by alcohol and the pillow cushioning her head. "How hard is that going to be to clean?"

"It could be really difficult if you want to keep your nice, cream-colored carpet," Dean deadpanned. "But if you're okay with replacing it, that'll be a whole lot easier, and more thorough."

"How expensive will that be?" asked Audrey.

"Not as expensive if I install the carpet for you myself," Dean offered. The woman under him winced as a bigger piece of glass was extracted. "Sorry. It's gonna hurt for a while longer. That cut's going to need stitches." Forty-five minutes later, Dean had the smaller injuries glass-free and dressed before he stitched the larger gash. "Okay, Audrey, this is going to hurt." The injured woman didn't respond. "Audrey?" Looking over, Dean discovered she'd fallen asleep. "At least she won't be able to feel this."

Just as he'd predicted, Audrey slept straight through the suturing and only started rousing when Dean was taping clean bandages over the stitching. "Dean?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Hey, just finished stitching you up," said Dean. "Your senses still good?"

"Everything's blurry," said Audrey. "Dean, what are we gonna do about the vampire?" she asked in a small voice.

"Don't worry about that," said Dean comfortingly. He carded his fingers through her damp locks. "I'll take care of the body after you and Tyler go to bed. I'm gonna find you some clothes so you can go to sleep." Finding underwear and shorts was easy. The difficult part was going to be finding a shirt that wouldn't irritate Audrey's injured back. "I'll get her something tomorrow," Dean finally decided after failing to locate a top. When he turned around to tell Audrey his decision, he saw that she'd gone back to sleep. "Sleep well, Audy," Dean whispered before walking out of the room.

Across the hall, Dean found Tyler still awake watching a kids' movie that Dean didn't recognize. "Hey, Tyler," he said softly to prevent scaring the kid.

"Mr. Dean," cried Tyler as he jumped off the bed and engulfed the older man in a hug. "What happened, Mr. Dean? Is Miss Audy okay?"

Dean gathered the young boy in his arms and picked him up, cradling him to his chest as he settled them both on the bed. He reached out a hand to pet Miso, then returned his attention to Tyler. "A bad man broke in and tried to hurt Miss Audy," he explained delicately. "But she's alright now. She got some pretty bad cuts on her back, but I was able to treat them and bandage them. She'll be okay."

"What happened to the bad man?" asked Tyler.

Dean carefully considered what to tell the child he held. Though Tyler knew that Dean was adept with weapons, Dean didn't think it would be very appropriate to tell the boy that he'd killed the guy. He eventually settled with, "I took care of him."

"Is that why you won't let me go into the living room?" Tyler guessed, looking up at Dean with trusting brown eyes.

"Yeah," said Dean with a nervous nod. "Yeah, it made a big mess. But I'll have it cleaned up by morning. So you'll be able to go in there tomorrow."

"Will you sleep with me tonight?" Tyler requested, tightening his hold on Dean and nuzzling into the man's chest. Dean reciprocated the hug with one of his own.

"Sure, Champ," he whispered. "I'll stay in here with you. You go on to sleep. I'll be right here." Once Tyler was settled under the covers, Dean gently stroked his hair and hummed to him until he fell asleep. As soon as he was sure Tyler wouldn't wake up, Dean snuck out of the bedroom and went to the living room. "Alright, you ugly bloodsucker. Time to burn."

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A/N: I've actually driven with my forehead against the steering wheel. It's not too hard, but it's not that easy either. And oh my goodness, you guys seriously wouldn't believe how difficult it is to write Dean without using profanity, especially when he's mad or upset. It's not easy in the slightest. I hope everyone liked this chapter. If anybody has an idea or suggestion of things you'd like to see, let me know in a review or PM. I love, love, LOVE getting prompt ideas from people. Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Ugh, I hate this chapter. It was so difficult to write and ended up being little more than a filler. I don't even expect any reviews for it, though they're still welcome. Feel free to bash the chapter all you want, as long as you don't bash my writing itself. Goodness knows I've complained about this chapter enough to my mama. Don't worry, though. The next one will be better. 

Disclaimer: Supernatural isn't mine. I don't even want to claim this chapter.

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The next morning, Audrey was woken up by stinging pain in her upper back. "What the heck," she mumbled nearly incoherently. "Dean," she called. "Dean!" 

A second later, the man in question entered through the doorway. "You alright?" he asked immediately. He sat down next to her and began looking over the dressings. "What's wrong?" 

"Why's my back hurt so much?" the younger woman slurred. 

"Because you got cut by a bunch of glass," answered Dean. Audrey just groaned in response. "What do you remember from last night?" 

"I remember a vampire breaking in and attacking me in the shower. Then I remember you giving me whiskey. Wait, is Tyler okay?" asked Audrey. 

"Yeah, don't worry. He's alright," Dean assured her. "I made sure he was okay before getting rid of the body." 

"How are you so comfortable killing things?" Audrey asked, genuinely curious. Sure, it disturbed her a little, but he'd saved her life and Tyler's. Dean was obviously dangerous, but Audrey could tell he wasn't a danger to her. 

Dean sighed shakily and turned his gaze onto the floor. "Grew up in it," he said softly. Audrey sat up enough to face him without aggravating her back. 

"You grew up in it?" she repeated. "What does that mean?" 

"It means," said Dean slowly, "that vamp that attacked us last night wasn't the first one I've killed. It means I was raised to hunt and kill monsters just like that vampire. My first kill was a werewolf when I was 10. I shot it right through the heart." 

"Dean, you were just a kid," Audrey protested. She reached out and took his hand, interlacing their fingers as she'd done so many times before. "Why on earth were you taught this stuff at such a young age?" 

"When I was four, my mom was killed." Another sigh was breathed out in an attempt to hold back the tears Dean felt welling. "It was a demon. He snuck into my brother's nursery when he was six months old, and my mom caught him. The demon pinned her to the ceiling and set her on fire." Dean ignored the shocked gasp coming from the woman next to him. "After that, my dad learned that monsters exist, and he spent the rest of his life hunting down the demon that killed her, along with every other monster he could find. Raised Sammy and me in it. Believe it or not, this is the first home I've had since I was four years old." 

"Dean, I'm so sorry." Audrey pulled herself over and draped herself over Dean's lap, wrapping her arms around his waist in an awkward hug. Dean cradled her head in his hand, fingers tangling in her dark hair. "I'm so glad I was able to give you a home again." 

"I am too, Audy," whispered Dean. A few moments passed in companionable silence. "How about I go make some pancakes for us and Tyler?" Dean offered gently. 

"That sounds amazing," said Audrey, "but how am I going to get to the kitchen with my back like this?" 

"You can wear one of my shirts," said Dean. "It'll be easier to put on a button-down, and it won't be too irritating on your back since it's so big. I can get you something later on if you want, something that doesn't have a back to it." 

"I've got a dress in the closet that I can wear for the day," mumbled Audrey. "But if you could find me a few halter tops somewhere that I can wear around here until my back heals, that would be beyond awesome." 

Dean chuckled at the young woman's comment before their moment was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Mr. Dean?" Tyler's young voice sounded when he peeked into the bedroom. Dean quickly pulled the blanket back over Audrey's shoulders. "Is Miss Audy okay?" 

"I'll be alright, Ty," said Audrey, giving the boy a smile. "Dean's been taking very good care of me." 

Tyler ducked into the room and sat down next to Dean, who draped his arm around the boy's shoulders. "Is it safe to go to the living room now?" he asked innocently. 

Dean recalled their conversation last night and tightened his hold. "Yeah, Champ. It's safe. How about you go on to the kitchen? I'll help Miss Audy get dressed, then we can make pancakes for breakfast." 

"Awesome!" shouted Tyler as he ran out to the hallway, leaving the adults chuckling behind him. 

"Alright, let's see how we're gonna get you up," said Dean as he stood from the bed. As an afterthought, he shut the door behind him; he didn't want Tyler possibly seeing anything, should he decide to come back. 

Slowly as possible, Audrey moved her legs to the side, curling her knees into her chest. "Can you pick me up so I'm sitting?" she asked. Ever so gently, Dean put his hands under the younger woman's arms and lifted her upper body until she was sitting up. Stinging pain ripped through her back, and the stitches in her shoulder pulled as her muscles shifted, drawing a cry from her. "Ah, Dean!" she hissed tearfully, her fingers digging into his shoulders. 

"Sorry, sorry," Dean apologized quickly, trying to get her as settled and pain-free as possible. "Will you be okay here while I go get you a shirt?" he asked once she was sitting up unassisted. At Audrey's nod, Dean hurried to his room and grabbed the first flannel shirt he could find. When he returned to Audrey's room, he found her clutching the edge of the bed with a white-knuckle grip. "Hey, what's wrong? Audrey?" 

"My back just hurts," she whimpered. 

"I'm going to take the bandages off and have a look at those cuts," Dean decided. "Do you need me to get Tyler so you have something to lean on?" Audrey shook her head jerkily, eyes clenched in pain. "Alright, it's okay." The hunter stroked his friend's cheek a few times comfortingly before pulling his med bag onto the bed. 

"Well, they're red and irritated," said Dean once the gauze had been removed, "but there's no sign of infection." After carefully reapplying antibiotic cream to the wounds, he covered them back up with clean gauze. "Let's see if we can get that shirt on you now." With cautious movements, Dean had Audrey standing beside the bed. She held her arms out behind her as well as she could as Dean slid the shirt on. 

"So glad you thought of that," mumbled Audrey as she fastened the buttons. "And thanks for dressing me last night. It would've been awkward to wake up completely naked." Dean's face flushed a light shade of pink, but thankfully, Audrey didn't notice. "Will you hand me my phone so I can call into work? There's no way I can work with my back like this." 

"I'll call in for you, Audy," said Dean. "For now, though, let's go join Tyler in the kitchen. I'm sure he's ready to eat." With gentle hands, the older man guided his younger friend from her bedroom into the kitchen, where their 8-year-old charge sat playing with the tiny fox. "Y'know, I'm actually kinda glad we decided to keep Miso." 

Audrey smiled briefly, but a heavy step jarred her back and turned the smile into a grimace. "Yeah," she choked out, "me too." 

Once Audrey was settled at the kitchen table, Dean gathered all the ingredients he would need to make pancakes and got cooking. "Here, Tyler," he said cheerfully, "you can slice these strawberries." Dean could tell Tyler was still worried about Audrey, so giving him an easy task was his way of helping the boy out of his daze. 

Once the pancakes were all sizzling on the stove, Dean took Audrey's phone. "I'm calling in for you," he explained when he saw her questioning look. Once he'd made the call and the food had finished, all three sat down at the table to eat. "Y'know," Dean mumbled thoughtfully, "the knife you brought me last night was Sam's." 

"Really?" Audrey asked softly. Dean nodded. "I just grabbed the longest one. I didn't know which one you might want." 

"Yeah, that was Sammy's," Dean repeated. "It kinda feels like he helped me out last night. Almost like he was there." Audrey wasn't sure if her response would be enough, so she gave her friend a small smile and squeezed his hand. 

"I'm sure he was, Dean."

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A/N: Yeah, there's the chapter. I'm done.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Whew, this chapter was a little bit of a doozy to write. But, thankfully, it wasn't as difficult as the last chapter. I still say that one was a nightmare. But I think you guys will like this one. Thanks go to Theia-The-Planet for the inspiration for this chapter. Thanks a million, and a million hugs to go with them! For all you Tyler fans, and I know you're out there, you guys are going to love this. Enjoy! 

Disclaimer: I own Tyler and his parents. I own Audrey. I don't own Dean, or Sam, or anything else recognizable. No matter how many times I say it, it doesn't get any easier. But I must bear it for the sake of this story!

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As the weeks passed, Dean felt himself get pulled closer and closer to Audrey. There was just something there that attracted him to her. The oblivious hunter just couldn't quite put his finger on it. It bothered him greatly. He was Dean Winchester, for crying out loud. One of the best hunters in America. He went to Hell and came back, went to Heaven and came back, and helped end the apocalypse that nobody knew about. So why the heck couldn't he figure out what he was feeling for Audrey, doggonnit? 

Dean had been having lots of internal debates with the Voice of Sam in his head recently, all of them about Audrey. Even in his head, Sam was still his pain in the butt little brother, and Dean couldn't be more happy that he still had at least that semblance of a connection with him. It made the hunter feel as though Sam was still there with him. However, Dean would still be a little more grateful if Sam would just tell him what was going on. 

It wasn't until an afternoon in mid September that Dean finally got his answer. He was doing some repairs on a 1995 Honda Civic, and Tyler was perched at the counter behind him doing homework. Lindy's work schedule had been changed, keeping her at work until 9:00 on Thursday and Friday nights. Because Audrey was also working until late afternoon on those days, Dean had volunteered to pick up Tyler from school and let him do his homework at the shop until closing. Afterwards, he would spend the rest of the evening with Audrey and Dean. 

Dean was in the middle of taking out the camshaft to get to the cylinders when Tyler spoke up. "Mr. Dean, when are you going to tell Miss Audy that you like her?" A clang echoed through the workshop when the end of the camshaft landed hard on the concrete floor. 

Dean stood wide-eyed holding the other end of the camshaft as his brain processed Tyler's question. 'When are you going to tell Miss Audy that you like her?' Tell Miss Audy. You like her. _You like her._ 'I like Audy?' Dean asked himself quietly. The cogs in his head were turning, trying to figure out what that meant exactly. 

'You finally figured it out,' the smug-Sam voice said into Dean's head. Underneath the smugness, though, Dean heard elation. He'd finally figured out what he felt for Audrey. 

"I like Audrey," Dean finally admitted out loud. 

"Duh!" Tyler shouted innocently. 

Dean paused before slowly turning back to Tyler, the question clear in his eyes. "Just how long have you known that I like Audrey?" he asked suspiciously. 

"Since the night that guy broke in," the little boy admitted with a shrug. The older man didn't move, just continued to stare at Tyler incredulously. "What? I thought you knew and were just being shy." 

"I'm not shy," said Dean defensively, finally breaking out of his shock. He went back to working on the car. 

"You mean you didn't know you liked Miss Audy?" asked Tyler. When Dean didn't respond, the younger boy jumped down from his stool and ran over to the car. "Now you really have to tell her, Mr. Dean! How are you gonna do it?" 

"Hold on, Ty," said Dean gently, stopping the kid before he got too excited. "I just figured out that I like Audrey, okay? First, I've got to wrap my head around it. Get used to the idea, y'know?" Tyler nodded in understanding. "But once I get used to the idea, I'll let you help me figure out how to tell her. Deal?" He held a hand out to Tyler. 

"Deal!" agreed Tyler, slapping his hand into Dean's and shaking it enthusiastically. 

"Alright, now get back to your homework," said Dean. "We're making bacon cheeseburgers for dinner tonight. If you want to help, you've got to be done with your homework." That was enough of an incentive for Tyler to get back to work, and Dean couldn't hold back a smile as he returned to his own. 

It took a few days for Dean to get used to his new knowledge. Having a name put to what he felt every time he saw Audrey wear his shirt or heard her sing in the shower gave him a jolt. It wasn't easy for him to hide it from the younger woman, and every time she turned away from him, Dean breathed a sigh of relief. 'This is definitely going to take some getting used to,' he thought before recomposing himself upon Audrey's return. 

However, he did finally come to terms with his newfound feelings, and the following Thursday found Dean and Tyler scheming over the disassembled engine of a 2003 Lexus. "So what ideas have you come up with to ask out Miss Audy?" asked Tyler as he fiddled with the head gasket Dean had removed from the car. 

"I haven't come up with anything yet," Dean answered as he cleaned the cylinders. There was a gruff frustration in his voice, and the blond boy picked up on it. 

"Well, Miss Audy loves it when you cook," suggested Tyler. "Maybe you could make her something real nice. You could do it on her birthday! Girls like that kinda stuff." Dean couldn't suppress a chuckle at the boy's innocence. It was something he truly admired about his much younger friend. 

"That sounds like a pretty good idea, Tyler," Dean confessed. He dropped the shop rag he was using and exchanged it for a bottle of water, passing one to Tyler as well. "What do you think I should make her? Her favorite food is tacos." 

"Make her a cinnamon cake to go with it!" said Tyler. "Miss Audy loves cinnamon rolls with tacos, but it's her birthday, so she needs a cake." 

"You know, Ty, you got some pretty good ideas," said Dean as he ruffled the younger boy's hair. 

"And you have to get her jewelry for her birthday," added Tyler. "My mama says that if a man really likes a woman, he's supposed to give her jewelry for her birthday." This earned a full belly laugh from Dean. 

"Your mom says that, huh?" he asked between chuckles. 

"That's what she always tells Daddy at least," the boy answered innocently. Dean couldn't help but smile at the kid. He was just too adorable at times. 

After more discussion, Tyler decided he was going to take Dean to the jewelry store to find a birthday present for Audrey. Dean went along with it to humor the kid, but he was still a little skeptical. Dean had never bought jewelry in his life. The closest he'd ever come was the time he bought a watch for Sam's 18th birthday/high school graduation. As a hunter, there was no room for such frivolous purchases. Possessions were limited in favor of easy travel and quick getaways, and money was pinched and saved for food and munitions, which left Dean with little to no knowledge of how to buy nice things for women. 

As reluctant as he was, Dean decided to trust Tyler's judgement. Even at eight, the kid had more experience with women than the hunter had, having grown up with a mom to care for him. Dean's experience with women was limited to witness interviews and sex. He tried to recall things he'd done with and for Cassie, but the headstrong young woman had really been the one to call the shots in their relationship, which Dean didn't want with Audrey. He wanted a real relationship with Audrey, and he wanted to do it right. 

So the following Saturday, Dean took Tyler back to work with him. They were going to go shopping after closing at noon. To say Dean was nervous was a gross understatement. With his grease-stained hands and travel-worn clothes, the hunter knew he wouldn't fit very well in the jewelry store. 'But Audrey's more important to me,' he decided and squared his shoulders to enter the store. 

The younger blond bounded ahead of his friend, eyes instantly glued to the glass casings that displayed rings, necklaces, and earrings. "Mr. Dean, come look at these!" he beckoned excitedly. With a small grin, Dean leaned against the counter Tyler was admiring. "These look really pretty." 

"Yeah," agreed Dean, then he lowered his voice, "and really expensive. I can't spend a ton of money in here, Champ." 

Tyler leaned away from the counter with a resigned sigh. "Okay. How about these over here? They're smaller." The pair moved from one side of the store to the other, taking in the selections. 

"Can I help you find anything?" a voice asked from behind the counter. Dean looked up to see an older gentleman in a sharp business suit and smelled trouble right away. The man was staring down at Dean in disdain, as if his clothes alone should bar him from entering the store. 

"We're trying to find a birthday present," piped up Tyler, unaware of the older man's aversion to their presence in his store. "Mr. Dean likes his friend, and he wants to find her a nice present so he can tell her he likes her." 

"Perhaps you'd be better off finding something across the street," the rude man's eyes drifted lazily to the window, indicating the thrift store situated a block down. "I highly doubt you'd be able to afford anything in my store, anyway." Dean was tempted to draw his gun on the snooty old geezer, but then he remembered he had a kid with him and wasn't packing. 

"Dad!" a sharp voice rang out as a man about Dean's age ran over and backhanded the older man on the shoulder. "You don't speak to customers that way. Go organize something in the back and leave me to man the floor." With a last haughty glare, the rude man left his son's side and disappeared into a back room. Dean's glare followed the man before turning to the younger one in front of him. "I'm so sorry for my father's behavior. For some reason, he thinks he has run of the place because he helped me buy into the business. Unfortunately, he can't remember that I already paid that money back to him." With a sigh, the store owner shook away the melancholy thought. "I'm Steven Barnes, owner of the store. Is there something I can help you find?" he offered politely. 

While he was still put off my the old man's rude behavior, Dean could tell his son was genuine in his apology, and his anger melted a little. "As you probably heard Tyler say, I'm trying to find a birthday present for a friend of mine." 

"A lady friend?" Steven asked with a knowing smirk. Dean responded with a slightly embarrassed head nod. "What's she like? Maybe you can find her something to suit her personality." 

"Miss Audy's really nice," said Tyler. "She brought Mr. Dean home after he got hurt because he didn't have anywhere to go." The reminder stung Dean, but he didn't say anything about it. "And I stay with them on Thursdays and Fridays while my mama's at work. Miss Audy works with Mama at the hospital." 

"Is she a nurse?" asked Steven. Tyler nodded. "Why don't you look at some of our themed jewelry over here?" Leading them down the case to another section of accessories, Steven pulled out a couple trays and set them on the counter. "We've got a few charm bracelets, and here are some earrings with little crutches on them. What do you guys think?" 

"Do any of these look good, Tyler?" Dean asked. He picked up a charm bracelet that had a tiny crutch, stethoscope, syringe, and old-fashioned nurse's cap. 

"But you're going to tell her you like her, Mr. Dean," Tyler pointed out as if it were obvious. Steven had to stifle a snicker of amusement at the boy's exasperation. "It's gotta be something real special." 

"These are special," argued Dean. "You know how Miss Audy likes stuff like this." 

"Yeah, it's great for a Christmas present, or her birthday when you're not asking her out. But you like her, so this needs to be something really good." Dean just stood up and shook his head, rolling his eyes in amusement. 

"Kids," he muttered under his breath. 

Steven chuckled in agreement. "Alright then, Tyler," he addressed the child, "what do you think would be appropriate?" 

Without answering, Tyler jumped over to the display he'd seen when he walked in. "I like these," he said. 

"Ty, I already told you. I can't afford something like this," said Dean self-consciously. He hated sounding as though he didn't have money, but the hunter-turned-garage owner just didn't have the funds for anything lavish. This was new territory for him, which was making him twitchy, and it didn't help that Barnes Sr. had decided to insult him. 

"It's fine," said Steven sympathetically. "We've got some more really nice pieces here that aren't quite as expensive." Walking a couple cases down the counter, the salesman pulled out two trays. The jewels were simpler, but no less stunning. "Do any of these look suitable?" 

Tyler looked closely at the proffered items, appraising each one. "This is pretty, Mr. Dean," he said, pointing at a thick gold chain with amethysts in every other link. "Miss Audy loves purple." 

"She certainly does," Dean agreed with a smirk. He recalled the amusement he got the first time he'd seen Audrey's bedroom. The woman had purple all over the place. "But it still looks a little too much for Audrey, don't you think?" He picked it up carefully, gauging its weight. "This is kinda heavy, Ty. I don't think it's the one." 

"Okay," the boy said with a shrug. As the unlikely pair looked over the jewelry, an earring-necklace set caught Dean's eye. 

The necklace was a thin white gold chain with tiny diamonds lining the chain, ending with a small aquamarine teardrop set in a delicate silver twist. With it was a pair of earrings with the same silver twist and aquamarine teardrop. The stones fascinated Dean, and he got lost in the many shades of blue that sparkled at him. 'They look like Audrey's eyes,' he thought with a pang. "I like this," he said absently, a calloused finger lightly tracing the edge of the necklace pendant. 

Beside him, Tyler gasped. "That's pretty, Mr. Dean," he said in awe. 

"You think Audrey would like this?" he asked, turning to the kid next to him. 

"Miss Audy will definitely like this," answered Tyler. "It's perfect." 

"How much is it?" asked Dean. Better to get the bad news before getting his hopes up too high. 

"The set costs $350," said Steven. "It's $200 for the necklace and $150 for the earrings, not including sales tax." Dean's heart fell at the price. He had expected costly, but over $300 was just too high for him. Steven noticed the crestfallen expression on his customer's face. "But for you, I'll knock the price of the earrings to $75." 

The hunter's eyebrows raised nearly to his hairline, and he jumped back as if he'd been electrocuted. "What? No way, I can't do that. It's too much-" 

"Nope, I insist," the store owner interrupted. "Consider it an apology for my father's rudeness earlier. I don't condone that kind of treatment in my store." 

Dean shook his head, looking uncomfortable. "I can't ask you to do that," he protested sadly. 

"You're not asking," said Steven. "Is this what you want to get?" he asked, his expression demanding a straight answer. 

"Well, yeah, I'd love to get it, but-" Dean was cut off again. 

"Then that settles it." With a smile, Steven took the set, boxed it up, and dropped it into a bag before ringing up the purchase. "Alright, your total will be $279.67." Feeling humbled beyond belief, Dean withdrew his wallet and dropped a credit card onto the counter. Sometimes he still couldn't believe he had a credit card with his own name on it. Once the transaction was made, Steven slid the receipt and jewelry bag across the counter. "There you go," he said with a pleasant smile. "I hope everything goes well for you." 

Dean slipped the receipt into his pocket and grabbed the bag. "Thanks," he said before turning to Tyler. "Come on, Champ. Your mom said you can hang out with me until the end of her shift." 

"Awesome!" the boy cheered, and he bounced out of the store behind his older friend. 

Steven just stood behind the counter, watching the unlikely pair leave with a bewildered smile on his face. "The people you meet in a jewelry store."

* * *

A/N: Uh oh, Dean's getting a little romantic there. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to pitch me some chapter ideas. To quote Spongebob- I NEEEEEED IIIIIIIIT! Drop me a review please, and thanks again for reading!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Okay, guys and gals, here's the chapter I just know everyone's been waiting for. Thanks and a shout out to Theia-The-Planet for the story idea. It's not exactly the idea you suggested, but your suggestion did help me think of this, so this chapter's for you. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own Audrey, her family, Tyler, the town, and the plot for this story. Does that count? No? Okay, fine. I don't own Supernatural.

* * *

It wasn't hard to hide the jewelry bag from Audrey; Dean just kept it in the glove box of the Impala. He knew his Baby wouldn't let him down. After that was just a matter of getting Audrey alone for her birthday. He didn't know what her family always did for her birthday, but he figured they probably did something, and the hunter didn't want an audience. 

What he didn't know, though, was that the subject of his thoughts was facing a similar dilemma. "Hey, Mama," she said into the phone while on her morning break. It was a few days before her birthday, and she wanted to talk to her mother about their plans for that day. 

"Hey, Baby," Margie greeted delightedly. "You having a good day so far?" 

"Yeah, it's alright," answered Audrey. "Listen, I wanted to talk about Sunday." 

"What about it? You still want all of us to come over and have supper together like usual?" 

"Actually, Mama," said Audrey slowly, taking a bite of her cereal bar to stall. "I was hoping we could do it another day." 

"What?" asked Margie. "Why? We always have supper together on your birthday. It's been a tradition since you moved into Uncle Tommy's house." 

Audrey had to smile for a second at the memory of her uncle. The two had been very close when Audrey was growing up, and he'd left his house and possessions to her in his will. "Yeah, I know," she began, pushing the memories aside for the time being. "But this year I wanted to do something a little different." 

"Sure," her mom agreed. "We can always do something different. Do you want to go out somewhere to eat instead of going to your house?" 

"Actually," Audrey sighed. She took a deep breath to steel herself for her mother's possible reaction. "I kinda wanted to celebrate at home." 

"How is that any different?" 

"With just Dean." There it was. The younger woman held her breath, waiting for her mama to say something, anything. 

There was only silence as Margie processed what her daughter had said. "Why don't you want to spend your birthday with your family?" she asked slowly. 

"It's not that I don't want to celebrate with y'all," Audrey struggled to explain. She hated it when her mother got like this. The passive guilt-tripping made her want to scream. "I just want to spend the day with Dean, is all. We can all have supper together Monday night." 

"Why do you want to spend your birthday with just Dean?" Margie asked slowly after a pause. 

"I just do, okay?" Audrey spat defensively. She crossed her arms over her chest and slouched against a tree. "I don't see why it's such a big deal." 

"I'm not trying to make it a big deal," said Margie placatingly. "I just want to understand why you want to be with him on your birthday. He can celebrate with us, of course. Wherever you want to go, he's invited to eat with us." 

"I know that, Mama." The younger woman breathed an exasperated sigh. "But I just want a quite supper at home this year. This week's already been crazy, with everything that's happened at the hospital." 

"But is that your only reason?" Margie probed. She knew the younger woman was close to cracking. She could hear the exasperation in her voice. "You know you can tell me." 

"It's because I like him, okay?" Audrey finally hissed into the phone. She felt as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, but that same weight also came crashing back on top of her. "Yeah, I fell for him. There's your answer." 

Silence reigned again as Margie contemplated her daughter's answer and Audrey dreaded her mother's response. "I figured that was what it was," the older woman finally answered. 

"Yeah, apparently I'm not all that subtle," Audrey bit sarcastically. 

"You know I like Dean," Audrey's mom began hesitantly. Audrey couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes. Here came the speech she was dreading. "He's a nice man, and he's obviously been treating you well. I'm very grateful to him for protecting you when that man broke into your house." 

"But you don't want us dating while he's living in my house," the younger woman interrupted. "I get it, Mama, I really do. But where else is he going to go right now?" 

"If he really wants to date you and be in a relationship with you, he will respect your boundaries," said Margie. "You need to tell him. Actually, I think it's time he find his own home. I'm not trying to tell you what to do or kick him out of your life, but Dean has been here for a few months now. He has a job, and has had it for a while. It's time now for him to move on into his own home and start his own life. You can still be a part of it, but he doesn't need to live with you anymore." 

"Yeah, I hear you, Mama," Audrey said quickly into the phone, disguising the tears in her voice. "My break's almost over. I've got to go." 

"I love you, Audrey," Margie told her daughter gently. "You know I only want God's best for you." 

The younger woman's heart softened at that. "I know, Mama. I love you, too. I'll talk to you later." After hanging up, the young nurse pocketed her phone and made her way back inside, wiping tears from her cheeks as she did. Thankfully, a distraction came to her in the form of a little girl in need of an x-ray. 

Around one o'clock, Dean pulled his Impala into the parking lot of the hospital. In his hand was a blue and purple insulated lunch bag that Audrey frequently packed her lunches in. Knowing that his young roommate didn't like to buy lunch, Dean decided to take it to work with him and give it to Audrey on his lunch break. 'Our lunches are around the same time,' he mused with a tiny smile as he entered the building. 'Maybe we can have lunch together. Stop it, Dean. No chick-flick moments!' 

As soon as the elevator doors opened to the pediatric ward, the hunter was met with a flurry of movement. There were doctors and nurses swarming around each other like bees, all in a hurry to get somewhere and do something. With it this busy, Dean decided he wasn't going to bother Audrey; he'd just drop her lunch off at the nurses' station and let them give it to her once everything had calmed down. 

Before he could do that, however, the very woman he was looking for nearly ran him over with a little girl in a wheelchair as they came around a corner. "Dean," gasped Audrey when she saw him, jerking the chair and the girl to a stop. "What are you doing here?" 

"You left your lunch at home," he said, stunned. "I was just bringing it to you so you wouldn't have to buy anything. What's going on around here?" 

"A few kids came down with chicken pox, so we're having to move the kids around to prevent them from catching it." Another nurse called out to Audrey. "Just a second, Demi. Dean, can you take Sydney here to the lobby and sit with her, please? She was in a room with another girl that got chicken pox. Just until we can get her a new room." Dean nodded his agreement. "Thank you so much," gasped Audrey. She knelt down by the wheelchair to face Sydney. "Hey, Syd, this is my friend, Dean. He's going to sit with you for a while so we can get your new room ready. Don't worry, he's really nice." Audrey stepped aside and let Dean take the wheelchair handles. "Thank you so much for this," she repeated. "We won't take long." And with that parting note, she was gone. 

"And then there were two," Dean said by way of greeting his new charge. "What's got you here in the hospital?" he asked casually. 

"I had a tumor taken out," answered Sydney. The older man was shocked by how easily she said this. "The doctor said it shouldn't be a bad tumor, but he wanted me to stay here just in case. It was on my side." 

"Well, I certainly hope everything will be alright," said Dean. He situated her chair in an empty space by the row of seats, then sat down next to her. 

"Mr. Dean, are you Miss Audy's boyfriend?" asked Sydney. 

Dean's eyes widened in surprise. "What? No, I'm not Miss Audy's boyfriend." 

"Are you sure?" Sydney was skeptical. "Because she talks about you a lot." 

"And just what does she say about me?" asked Dean once he'd recovered his composure. 

"She says you're really nice and handsome, and that you make the best tacos she's ever had." The knowing smile on the little girl's face led Dean to believe that Audrey had said these things more than once. "Every time you make tacos, she comes back and tells me how good they were. She even let me have a bite when she brought them for lunch one time. You do make really good tacos." 

"Thank you, Sydney," said Dean with a smile. 

"I think Miss Audy likes you," Sydney resumed talking. "She has a picture of you on her phone with another boy. She showed it to me." 

The corners of Dean's lips quirked at the thought of Audrey having a picture of himself and Tyler on her phone. "I'm not Miss Audy's boyfriend," he repeated, "but I do like her," he finished when he saw her face fall. Her face then lit up like it was Christmas morning. "And I'm going to tell her on her birthday." 

"That's so sweet!" Sydney gasped excitedly. "I won't tell her." 

"Won't tell who what?" asked Audrey as she came back into the lobby. Sydney clapped her hands over her mouth to cover her giggles. "We've got your new room all set up, Syd." 

"Bye-bye, Mr. Dean," said Sydney. She gave Dean a secret wink as she rolled away, to which Dean responded with a smile. "You're right, Miss Audy. Mr. Dean is really nice." 

Audrey grinned at the little girl and ruffled her hair. "I better get Sydney to her room. I'll see you at home, Dean." 

"Bye, Audy," said Dean as the girls turned to leave. "Bye, Sydney," he called one last time, and the small girl waved at him before disappearing into the corridor. 

After his short conversation with Sydney, Dean was feeling more confident about Audrey's birthday. He'd already decided with Tyler that the thing to make for her birthday supper was tacos, and the cinnamon cake sounded like a really good idea. So while Audrey was at work the morning of her birthday, Dean put himself to work in the kitchen. Despite growing up in ratty motel after ratty motel, the hunter had always enjoyed cooking and experimenting with food. It was just about the only way to get picky Sam to eat half the time. 

When Audrey got home that evening, Dean was nowhere to be found. "Dean?" she called, looking through the house. The living room was empty, but when she entered the kitchen, she was hit in the face balloons. "Bah! Dean!" Audrey yelled playfully when she saw her friend standing there smiling. Looking around, the younger woman took in all the balloons covering the floor, all of her favorite snacks scattered on the island, and the plates of tacos on the table. "Dean, what is all this?" 

"Happy Birthday," the older man answered, holding his arms out to the sides, awkwardly gesturing to the room as a whole. 

Audrey's face lit up in surprised delight. "Oh wow. This is great! Come on, let's eat!" The two sat down to eat the tacos Dean had prepared. They were the best Audrey'd ever had. 

"And I know how you like cinnamon rolls with your tacos," said Dean, getting up from the table. "But since it's your birthday, I figured a cake would be better." When he returned to the table, there was a large cake in his hands. It was light brown, colored by all the cinnamon Dean had added to the batter, with streusel and sugar glaze drizzled on top. "I hope it tastes good," he said nervously. "The cake batter I ate was good." 

A chuckled shook Audrey as she picked up the knife Dean had also brought with the cake. "I always say, if the batter's good, the cake will be good. Of course, I'd rather eat the cake batter than the cake any day." After cutting a generous piece for each of them, Audrey took a bite. "Oh my gosh, Dean, this is amazing!" she mumbled loudly with her mouth full. "You have to make this every time we have tacos now. This totally beats the cinnamon rolls." 

"I don't know," Dean said with a small grin after tasting his own piece. "I kinda like the cinnamon rolls myself." Once they'd finished eating, Dean brought out the present he'd bought. Deciding he didn't want to give the surprise away, the hunter had taken the jewelry box out of the store bag and wrapped it in some wrapping paper he'd found in the hall closet. "I have something else for you," he said, stumbling nervously over his words. 

Once again, he was rewarded with Audrey's smile. She saw how badly it was wrapped, but that just endeared it to her more. "Thanks," she said honestly, taking the package in her hands. "It's kinda heavy." Unwrapping it slowly, the colorful paper revealed a black velvet box. Her heart skipped a beat, knowing that it was jewelry Dean had gotten her. When she opened the box, however, Audrey's breath caught in her throat. "Dean," she breathed, no louder than a whisper. "Oh my goodness." 

Worry shot through Dean like a bullet. "W-what is it?" he stuttered. 'Oh crap, she doesn't like it. She hates it, and she's gonna shoot me for it. Then she's gonna get Jack to drag my corpse out to the gun range and shoot it again before setting it on fire.' 

"It's so beautiful." Dean's eyes shot up to Audrey's stunned face. "Oh my gosh, I love them." When the younger woman finally looked up from her gift, her eyes were moist with tears. "Help me put the necklace on." Dean was still frozen. "Dean, hey! Hellooo! Dean!" Audrey's shout finally broke the man out of his shock. "Help me put the necklace on, please." 

'She actually likes it,' still rang in Dean's head as he stood behind her with the necklace. It didn't take him long to figure out how to fasten it, as the clasp looked like the carabiners he and Sam sometimes used in the weapons cache to hold their rosaries and charms. 

"How does it look on me?" Audrey asked once Dean had retaken his chair. 

'Beautiful,' he thought. When he saw Audrey blushing and looking away nervously, Dean realized he'd said that out loud. "Uh-dah, I m- I mean-" 

"You think I'm beautiful?" Audrey asked hesitantly. Her big blue eyes seemed to stare right through Dean. He had to tell her now. 

"Yeah, Audrey," he said softly. Nerves shook him, but he tried to hide it as he reached for her hand. "I think you're very beautiful. And I'm no good at this. I've only ever been this honest with one person before, and she practically kicked me out of her life." Audrey gulped nervously. She could feel how scared Dean was through his gentle hold on her fingers, and she squeezed his hand a little, tightening her hold on him. "B-but I care about you, Audrey." When Dean looked up at her, she could see the honesty, hope, and just a little self-doubt shining in his glorious green eyes. "I don't really know how to say or ask this, but I want a relationship with you. I feel kinda cheesy asking you to be my girlfriend." Audrey chuckled at his awkwardness, and he smiled with her. "But I want to be with you." 

"I want to be your girlfriend," Audrey said quickly, cutting Dean off. She brought her other hand up to trace the contours of the older man's face, loving the way the short stubble scratched her fingers. "I want to be with you too." 

Not knowing what else to say, Dean leaned toward Audrey and captured her lips in a kiss. They both felt each other smile through the kiss, and as she moved her lips with Dean's, only one thought passed through Audrey's mind. 'Best birthday ever.'

* * *

A/N: The cake Dean makes for Audrey is a real thing. I came up with it myself ^.^ and it's so delicious and easy. Just add cinnamon to a butter recipe cake mix and bake it with streusel on top. The glaze is just powdered sugar and water. Now, I has a question for you guys. It's been brought to my attention that Tyler seems way younger than I've aged him. Please leave me a review or a PM telling me how old he seems by the way I write him. And don't spare my feelings. I can take it! Just let me know please so I know it I need to make any changes. Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Oh my gosh, I am SO sorry it took so long to post this chapter. I've had zero motivation to write lately, no matter how many ideas I get, plus I've been dealing with stuff lately. You don't want me getting into that. But I hope this chapter is good enough to make up for it.

This chapter's idea was given to me by LaughingLadyBug. Sorry it took so long, LLB, but I was finally able to bring it into the story. Thanks again for this *hugs*. I hope it lives up to your expectations.

Oh, another thing. I went back and changed Tyler's age. I love the kid too much to start writing him any differently, so I lowered his age a wee bit. I hope he seems a little more realistic now.

Disclaimer: It's the middle of the night. I'll let you guys come up with a witty disclaimer. I don't have enough brain cells right now to think up a creative way to express how much I don't own Supernatural.

* * *

The next several days went by in a pleasant blur. They all seemed to blend in together, but at the same time, the days went by slowly. It was a strange experience for Audrey, but she relished in it. Every morning at breakfast, Dean greeted her with a kiss. Those kisses weren't like the one they'd shared on her birthday, but they were sweet, quick pecks on her lips, and Audrey looked forward to them everyday. 

Despite the bliss she and Dean were now living in, Audrey couldn't get her mother's words out of her head. She knew her mama was right. Now that they were dating, the two adults didn't need to be living together. Audrey was a Christian. She'd taken Dean in because she felt it was the right thing to do, but now he could support himself, and they were in a relationship. There were just too many temptations for the both of them. 

After work had ended for the day, Audrey decided to talk about this with Dean. She didn't know how he might react, but she knew she had to reassure him that she wasn't kicking him out. No matter where her boyfriend lived, her home would always be his home. "Hey, Dean," the young woman called when she entered the house. 

She found him, as always, in the kitchen cooking supper. Miso was scurrying around his feet, prowling for any food pieces his owner might drop on the floor. "Hey, Audy," Dean repeated as he poured buffalo sauce over a pan of chicken wings. "Work go well?" 

"Yeah, same as always," Audrey shrugged. She eyed Dean out of the corner of her eye, watching him move expertly around the kitchen. 'If there were ever a time, this was it,' she thought, hating the conversation she knew she and Dean had to have. "Uh, Dean." The older man turned to her expectantly, waiting for her to continue. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about." Dean quirked an eyebrow in question, but his poker face didn't let on to anything he was thinking. 

Out of the blue, Audrey's phone rang. "Sorry," she apologized, shutting off the ringer and putting the phone on the counter. "Uh, anyway, I was talking to Mama the other day, a few days before my birthday. She was sa-" Again, the young woman was interrupted by her phone ringing. "Urgh, stop ringing." After ignoring the call and putting her phone to the side again, Audrey turned back to Dean. 

"You can take that call," Dean assured her, pointing innocently to her phone. "I don't mind. Besides, I gotta take up these fries." 

"Dean, there's something important I need to talk to you about," said Audrey with a sigh. Once the french fries were out of the fryer and in a paper towel lined bowl, Dean turned his attention back to his girlfriend. "When Mama and I were talking, she sai-" 

The phone starting ringing for the third time. Audrey dropped her forehead onto the counter in frustration, and Dean picked up her phone. "Audrey, it's the hospital." 

The younger woman's head shot up and her hand grabbed for the phone. "Why's the hospital calling me? Hello?" 

"Audrey Dawson?" asked an unfamiliar male voice. 

"Yes?" said Audrey. As he cooked, Dean watched her out of the corner of his eye. He wondered what was going on that the hospital would call her three times just to reach her. 

"This is Elliot Meyers," the man introduced. "I'm calling about Peter and Lindy McKauley. I'm so sorry to tell you this, but they were in a car accident an hour ago." 

"Oh my gosh! Are they alright?" gasped Audrey. Tears immediately filled her eyes, and Dean rushed to her side. "What happened? Where's Tyler?" 

"That's why I'm calling you. Miss Dawson, you're aware that the McKauley's have named you as guardian to their son, Tyler, correct?" 

"Yeah, I've been friends with Lindy and Peter since Tyler was a toddler," Audrey answered. She reached blindly for Dean, seeking the reassurance his touch always brought. "What's this about?" 

"Peter has several broken limbs, one of which punctured a lung, and Lindy is currently in a coma. She suffered much head trauma. Their doctors are not optimistic about their chances." 

"What about Tyler?" Audrey demanded frantically. She ran back to the living room to grab her keys, but didn't see where she'd dropped them. Dean ran in behind her and grabbed her jacket and purse, his own keys in hand. "Is he hurt? Who's looking after him?" 

"Tyler's alright," reported Elliot. "The doctors think he has a very mild concussion, but they doubt it. He also has some burns from the seatbelt, and a few cuts from the shattered windows, but over all, he's fine. But that's why I'm calling you. We need you to come to the hospital to stay with Tyler. As his guardian, you would be the one to make any important decisions regarding Tyler." 

"Yeah, I'll be there as soon as I can," said Audrey, hanging up as Dean ushered her out the door. "Dean, we've gotta get to the hospital." 

"Yeah, I gathered that from what I could hear," said Dean. The two of them jumped into the Impala, and Dean tore out of the driveway. 

"Oh gosh, Dean, I hope they'll be okay," Audrey sobbed. Dean pulled her into his side and held her close. "Lindy's been one of my closest friends for years. I was a bride's maid when she and Peter renewed their vows. They're as close as family to me, Dean." 

"Hey, it'll be alright, Audy," Dean said softly. "What did the guy on the phone say about'em?" 

"It was some guy named Elliot. He wasn't a doctor, but he said that Peter has some broken ribs and a punctured lung, and Lindy's suffered head trauma and is in a coma. Tyler's just a little beat up, but he's alright for the most part." 

"Oh, wow, so glad he's okay," Dean sighed with relief. Audrey nodded against his shoulder. "So why did they ask you to go to the hospital?" 

"I'm Tyler's godmother," explained Audrey. "If anything happens to Peter and Lindy, I get custody of him. I love Tyler to death, but I dearly hope I won't have to take custody of him anytime soon." 

The rest of the drive was spent in silence as Audrey tried not to completely fall apart on Dean's shoulder. When they arrived at Wayline Hospital, the couple was met at the door by a middle aged man in a suit. "Audrey Dawson?" the man asked. 

The address took Audrey by surprise, causing her to nearly fall as she slid to a stop. "Who are you? I'm in a hurry." 

"I'm Elliot Meyers, the man you spoke to on the phone." Elliot held out a hand in introduction, which Audrey shook. 

"Why are you the one that called me anyway?" asked Audrey. "Why wouldn't the doctors call me? Do you work at the hospital?" 

"No, I'm actually the McKauleys' attorney," Elliot explained. "They had just left my office and were returning home when they had the accident. When the doctors told me their conditions, they advised calling in Tyler's guardian since his parents aren't able to care for him right now." 

"Have you heard anything new from the doctors?" asked Dean. He could feel Audrey shaking under the arm he'd draped around her shoulders. 

The lawyer shook his head regretfully. "There hasn't been any change for Peter and Lindy that I know of. If you'll come with me, I'll take you to Tyler's room and you can wait with him. Turns out, he didn't have a concussion, so he's sleeping right now. The pain medication put him right out." 

When the group reached Tyler's room, the couple hesitated. "Dean, I'm almost scared to go in there," Audrey whispered, choked by tears, as she turned to face Dean and wrap her arms around his waist. 

"Hey, you heard what Elliot said," Dean comforted, though he was feeling just as apprehensive. "Tyler's just fine. Just a few cuts and bruises. It'll be okay." Audrey nodded against him, but she didn't pull away. "Come on, let's go see him." Arms still around each other, the couple entered their young friend's hospital room. The sight they faced brought tears to both of them, despite Dean's assurances. 

Tyler was sleeping soundly, cuts littered over his face. A few of them were bandaged, which led Dean to conclude that they'd been stitched. With slow steps, Audrey moved to Tyler's bedside and stroked his hair; Dean moved to the other side and sat down in the chair next to the bed. 

"I've gotta go check on Peter and Lindy," Audrey said after a minute, her voice choked with tears. She dashed out of the room, leaving Dean to watch over the sleeping boy. Reaching toward the end of the bed, Dean snagged Tyler's chart to see just what his condition was. He was relieved to see that Tyler's injuries were all superficial. 

After the clipboard was back in place, Dean turned back to his much younger friend and gently lifted his scratched and bandaged hand. "Hey, Champ," he whispered. "I'm sorry you have to deal with this. But you're going to be just fine. Ya know, I was in a car accident a few years ago, but that was much worse than yours. I nearly died. But you're going to be alright. And we'll all take good care of you while you get better." 

Sitting in the silence allowed Dean too much time to think. Though he was happier with Audrey than he'd been in years, especially now that they were in a relationship, Dean couldn't help but wonder how long it would end up lasting. He wasn't feeling the urge to hunt, which surprised him in the extreme. Running the auto shop was great, and it made Dean feel accomplished in a way he'd never felt before. But the hunter couldn't get those in need out of his head. Sometimes he would glance at the obituaries in the local newspaper, just to see if anything was going on in the area. There never was, for which he was grateful, but Dean knew that, in other parts of the country, people were still dying at the hands of supernatural beings. 

"Which do I want more, Ty?" Dean whispered to the sleeping boy. "Do I want to stay here, at home? Or do I want to be out there, saving people?" A sigh escaped his lips, and his forehead dropped down to his hands, still clutching Tyler's. "I know which one I want more. I want to say here with Audrey, and with you." He reached one hand out and brushed his fingers through his young friend's hair. "But how soon should I go back to hunting, if I go back at all?" 

A knock on the door brought Dean back to the present. "Excuse me, Mr. Winchester?" Elliot reluctantly interrupted. The younger man looked up at the elder. "I need you to come with me. I have some things to discuss with you and Miss Dawson concerning Tyler and his parents." 

"Why me?" asked the confused hunter. 

"I'll explain that," answered Elliot. "It shouldn't take too long. Tyler will be alright until you get back." 

Though he was reluctant, Dean pressed a kiss to Tyler's forehead and stood from his chair. "I'll be right back, Ty." 

Following Elliot down the corridor brought Dean to a conference room, where Audrey stood chewing on her thumbnail. "Mr. Meyers, what's going on? Dean, what are you going here?" 

Dean shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. He just told me to come." 

"Miss Dawson, Mr. Winchester, if you please." The couple sat down at the table with Elliot, who had a file in his hand. "Mr. and Mrs. McKauley's conditions haven't changed, unfortunately. Their doctors have agreed to keep me informed if anything changes. However, this leaves them unable to make decisions for their son, Tyler. That's why I called you here to the hospital. As his guardians, it'll be up to you to make any decisions concerning Tyler and his treatment here at the hospital." 

"Right, I understand that," said Audrey. "You told me that over th-" 

"Wait a sec, did you say guardians?" asked Dean. "As in, plural? As in, not just Audrey?" 

Audrey's eyes widened when she realized her boyfriend was right. "Did you say guardians?" the stunned woman repeated. 

"Yes, I said guardians," Elliot confirmed. Dean felt himself go numb all over. "That's why Peter and Lindy were in my office this afternoon. Mr. Winchester, they have appointed you as Tyler's godfather." 

The couple sat frozen for several seconds, trying to absorb the information they'd just been given. "W-why me?" Dean asked slowly, hesitantly, as if afraid of the answer. When Audrey looked over at her boyfriend, she saw tears in his eyes. The practical self-hate he was exuding made her want to cry as well, and she felt herself take hold of his hand in both of hers. 

"Lindy and Peter have told me about you, Mr. Winchester," answered Elliot. "They went on and on about how wonderful you are with Tyler, and how much Tyler loves being with you and Miss Dawson. When they made that change to their will today, they couldn't say enough good things about you. And when they left, I could hear Tyler talking animatedly about you as well. You mean something to this family, Mr. Winchester." 

Dean didn't know how to respond. Aside from his dad, no one had ever entrusted him with the wellbeing of another life. It made perfect sense that John would put Sammy into his care; Sam's his baby brother. But Tyler? Half a year ago, Dean didn't even know Tyler existed. He didn't know Audrey existed, he didn't know there was a town called Woodnor. And if someone had told him that he'd be the owner of his own car shop, he'd have splashed them with holy water and jabbed them with a silver knife, just to be on the safe side. 

Six months ago, Dean was busy trying to kill Horsemen and keep people from dying. Now, here he sat in a hospital, learning that he's guardian to a small boy whose parents might be dying. It was too much to take in at once. "I need some air," he gasped. Before Audrey or Elliot could stop him, Dean had fled the room. He walked briskly through the halls, nearly running, and didn't stop until he reached the cool night air. 

Looking up at the sky, Dean wished he could see the stars. One of his and Sam's favorite pastimes was sitting on the hood of the Impala in an empty field, beers in hand, and just looking up at the stars. That thought made him want his brother more than anything, and he couldn't stop the tears from falling. "What do I do, Sammy?" Dean sobbed. He slammed his fists against a stuccoed column, ignoring the scratches it left in his hands, and let his grief wash over him. "This boy's life is in my hands. I'm not good enough for him." 

'Yes, you are,' his brother's voice rang in his head. Dean wasn't sure which chick-flick moment that had come from, but it was too real to be anything but a memory. 'You took care of me.' 

"You're my brother, Sam," whimpered Dean. "It's my job to take care of you." 

'Now you've got someone else that needs you,' said the Sam-voice. 

Before Dean could respond, he felt gentle hands grab his shoulders and turn him around into a warm embrace. "It's alright, Dean," said Audrey's soft, caring voice. His forehead dropped to her shoulder, their height difference making it a little awkward. Audrey just adjusted her hold on him to hug him more easily. "Everything'll be alright. Tyler's safe with us. And he loves you, Dean. You love him too, right?" Dean nodded against her shoulder. "And I love him, too. We'll be able to take care of him." 

The couple stood outside for several more minutes until Dean was calm enough to go back inside. Elliot had decided that he'd explained enough for the night, and left with a promise to return the next day to check on the McKauley family. The couple agreed that they weren't leaving Tyler alone all night, so a kind nurse rolled a cot into Tyler's room, which Dean offered to Audrey. Audrey fell asleep fairly quickly on the cot, leaving Dean awake in the cheap recliner next to Tyler's bed. Looking between his girlfriend and their young charge, Dean felt a peace settle over his shoulders. 'Now I have my answer,' thought. Giving each of his loved ones a kiss goodnight, Dean settled back in the chair to sleep. 'I'm not going anywhere.'

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A/N: Such feels and sadness. I hope everyone liked this chapter. Again, so sorry for the wait. If you don't hate me too much, please leave a review. They make me happy.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Alright, peoples, time to get the tissues ready. I'm not even kidding. I nearly cried while writing this chapter. It was actually kind of difficult.

Disclaimer: Nope. Iie. Nein. Non. *presses two fingers and thumb together* I don't know any other languages in which to say no. I don't own anything. I just about can't even type out this disclaimer. You see what you do to me, Disclaimer?

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Sunlight streamed through the thin curtain, waking Audrey. For a split second, she wasn't too sure where she was. She knew this wasn't her bed, but it wasn't uncomfortable, and she didn't feel unsafe. 

Sitting up, Audrey looked around the hospital room and found Dean asleep in the recliner. His right hand was resting on the hospital bed, Tyler's much smaller hand lying next to Dean's. With a sad smile, Audrey combed her fingers through the little boy's hair and kissed his forehead. 

She walked out into the corridor get some coffee from the cafeteria, tugging the worn leather jacket she'd borrowed from Dean around her shoulders to ward off the cold of the hallway. As she waited for the elevator, Audrey heard loud, frantic beeping coming from the other end of the hall. "That's near Peter and Lindy," she realized with a start and dashed back down the hall, praying that it wasn't one of her friends that was crashing. "Please, God, don't let it be one of them." 

Her heart sank steadily the closer she got to the screaming monitors, and it nearly burst when she found the source to be Peter's room. "No, Peter! Somebody help!" she shouted as she frantically pounded on the call button. "Somebody! Hold on, Peter. Someone's going to help." She started checking his vitals as a doctor and two nurses appeared by her side. 

"How is he?" the doctor asked as he began examining his patient. 

"BP's dropping," Audrey explained her initial findings. "I don't see any external bleeding, so it must be internal. His blood pressure's dropping too quickly. That's the only thing I've found so far." 

"Get one of the operating rooms ready," the doctor ordered, and one of the nurses he'd brought with him scampered off. "Audrey, go back to Tyler's room and get some more rest. We'll take care of Peter." 

Audrey nodded jerkily, the adrenaline running out of her system. "Y-yeah, I'll do that, yeah," she stammered. "I'll j-just... go do that." As she left the room, the young nurse's feet quickened their pace, and she didn't even notice she'd returned to Tyler's room until she was flinging herself on top of Dean. A shout erupted from the startled man, flailing for a weapon until he realized just what had attacked him. Once he saw that it was Audrey, he settled down. That's when he noticed her sobs. 

"Audy, Audy, what's wrong?" Dean asked softly as he situated her in his arms. It was difficult to do in such a small chair, but he managed to do it. "Audy, Sweetheart, talk to me. What is it?" 

"Peter's bleeding internally," Audrey whispered into his neck. She didn't trust herself to speak any louder, afraid she would break down completely if she did. "I heard his monitor going off when I was waiting for the elevator. I was the first one to get to his room, and I found his blood pressure dropping way too fast. Dean..." The tears came again, cutting Audrey off. 

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Dean soothed his heartbroken girlfriend. "I bet Peter's going to be alright. And Lindy's probably going to wake up soon and beat you for worrying about her so much." A tiny laugh broke through the sobs, and Audrey's lips quirked up in a smile. 

"I'm just so scared I'm going to lose them, Dean. We've been friends for so long, and I don't want to see Tyler lose his parents." 

"Hey, none of that," Dean cut her off. He tilted her chin up so she could look him in the eye. "Don't think like that, Baby. You gotta remember, no matter what happens, Tyler is not going to be alone. Right? We're going to be here for him." Audrey nodded, and Dean gave her a gentle kiss before she settled back down against him. It didn't take long for her to fall back asleep, her energy having drained in the excitement of the morning. 

Dean felt his girlfriend fall asleep against him. He was about to follow her into slumber when he heard movement in the bed next to him. "Tyler?" he asked gently. Looking to his right, Dean saw the child stirring. Tyler's eyes fluttered open slowly, squinting in the morning light shining right onto his face. The hunter eased his girlfriend down into the chair and sat down on the edge of Tyler's bed. "Hey there, Champ." 

"Mr. Dean?" the boy croaked with a sleepy voice. His eyes closed again and he settled back into his pillow, but Dean could tell his younger friend wasn't going back to sleep yet. "'s goin' on? Where're Mama n' Daddy?" 

"They got banged up pretty bad, Ty," Dean told him regretfully. 

The boy's eyes widened as Dean's words registered in his head. "Are the going to be okay?" he asked. He shot up in bed but had to lie back down when pain from his injuries got to be too much for him. "What's going to happen, Mr. Dean?" 

"Don't you worry, Tyler," Dean said as he helped Tyler settle into a more comfortable position. "The doctors are taking care of your mom and dad, alright? You just focus on resting and letting yourself get better. Audy and I are here to take care of you until your parents are able to." 

"I don't want anything to happen to Mama and Daddy," Tyler sobbed. "They have to be okay!" Being careful of his injuries, Dean gathered the little boy into his arms, rocking him gently. 

"It's alright, buddy," Dean said as he held Tyler, just letting him cry. He understood where Tyler was coming from. How many times had he sat up late at night, waiting for his dad to come back from a hunt? Hoping and praying he would come home safe and sound? Dean knew Tyler's fear, and he wished with all his heart that he could take that away from him. 

Just then, a soft knock sounded from the door. "Excuse me, Mr. Winchester?" a man in a white coat asked. Dean looked up at him, giving him his attention. "Can I talk to you for a minute? Out in the hall?" 

With a nod, the hunter loosened his hold on Tyler. "I have to go talk to the doctor for a minute, Champ. If you need anything, just call out, and I'll be right here." Tyler nodded sadly, and Dean ruffled his hair before following the doctor out to the hallway. "Okay, what's going on?" he asked impatiently. 

"Under normal circumstances," the doctor began, "I would be talking to the next of kin. But considering this family's situation, you and Miss Dawson are the closest the McKauley's have to kin here. I'm so sorry to tell you, Mr. Winchester, but Peter didn't make it." 

Dean felt as though he'd been punched in the stomach. All the air left his body in an instant, and he couldn't make himself move. 'Peter's dead?' he thought in shock. Though he'd only been in Woodnor for a few months, Dean had been friends with Peter and Lindy since the day he met Tyler. He and Peter had quickly bonded over cars and mechanics, and he had spent hours talking pop culture and classic rock with Lindy while they swapped cooking tips. And they all doted on Tyler. 

"Wh- uh, h-how, how did it happen?" Dean stuttered sadly. 

"Miss Dawson found him bleeding internally, and we weren't able to stop it," the doctor explained. "It took too long to locate where he was bleeding, and by the time we did, it was too late. There was nothing we could do." 

"What about Lindy?" asked Dean. 

The older man sighed regretfully and looked Dean straight in the eye. "There's very little brain activity, just enough that she's not brain dead. Her condition hasn't really changed, but there aren't any signs of improvement," he said. "We're all praying for a miracle, but none of us are expecting her to recover." 

"Thanks, Doc," muttered Dean. He brought a hand down over his eyes and let it rest over his mouth, trying to reign in his emotions so he could give Tyler and Audrey the awful news. 

"Would you like me to tell them?" the doctor asked gently. "They might be able to take it better from a doctor." 

Dean shook his head. "No. Thank you, Doc, but I need to do it," he said. "I'm Tyler's guardian now, unless Lindy wakes up, so I need to be the one to tell him." The doctor nodded in understanding, giving Dean a sad smile and putting a hand on his shoulder before turning to leave. 

Several minutes passed before Dean gathered enough of himself to go back into Tyler's room. "How do I tell Tyler that he's never gonna see his dad again?" he asked himself in a choked whisper as tears threatened to spill. 

'You can do it, Dean,' Sam's voice said softly in Dean's head. 'You're strong, Dean. You've been strong for me my whole life. Now, it's time for you to be strong for Tyler. You can do it.' 

Dean nodded to himself, squaring his shoulders and removing any trace of tears from his face. "I can do it," he tried to assure himself, but he still felt the heavy weight of loss. 

When he went back inside, the hunter found his girlfriend awake and talking to Tyler. 'Our child,' he thought sullenly. For that's what Tyler was now, unless a miracle occurred and his mom woke up. As much as he loved Tyler, Dean didn't want him to lose his mother. He knew that pain all too well, and wouldn't wish it on such a sweet child. 

"Hey, Dean," Audrey said with a smile. Then she saw her boyfriend's face, and the smile dropped, replaced with a strong feeling of dread. "Dean, what did the doctor say?" 

Before he said anything, Dean sat down on the bed, pulling Tyler into his side and reaching out to Audrey with his other hand. "That was your dad's doctor, Ty," he began sadly. Tyler could tell by Dean's tone that his news wasn't good, and his body started trembling. "I'm so sorry, Tyler, but your dad got worse sometime before we woke up this morning. See, he started bleeding inside his body, which is much more dangerous than bleeding outside. The doctors and nurses tried to save him, but they couldn't stop the bleeding in time." 

"No!" Tyler screamed and slammed himself into Dean's arms, ignoring the pain in his own body. "He can't be dead, Mr. Dean! Please say he's not dead!" 

Dean struggled to hold his own tears in as he hugged Tyler tightly to his chest. "I'm so sorry, Buddy," he repeated in a choked whisper. "I wish I could tell you different, but he's not here anymore." As Tyler sobbed into his neck, Dean turned to look at Audrey. It shattered his already broken heart to see the tears on her face, and he drew her into his other side, holding his two most precious people as close as he could. 'I wish you were here, Sammy,' he thought as his own tears finally fell. 

It took less time for Audrey to overcome her grief than Tyler, and she pulled away from Dean to see him crying as well. She knew he had found a good friend in Peter McKauley, just as she had all those years ago, and she hated seeing her boyfriend in such pain. "I'm going to go find Peter's doctor," she whispered. "I want to know just what happened." Dean nodded and shifted his weight so he was lying against the raised bed, Tyler still cradled against him. 

When Audrey stepped out into the hall, she felt the full weight of their situation fall on her shoulders. 'I need to see about Lindy, too,' she thought. It took a while to find the doctor that had treated her friend. "Dr. Garrison," she called when she found him. The man turned when he heard his name. 

"Hey, Audrey," he said sadly. The redness of her eyes and the tear stains on her cheeks told the older man that she'd heard the news. "I'm so sorry about Peter." 

"Thanks," the younger woman said with a shaky nod. "Do you know what happened? He wasn't bleeding last night." 

Garrison shrugged helplessly. "We missed something in our initial examination. There was an injury on his small intestine that didn't show up on any of his scans. It took too long for us to find the injury, and by the time we did, he'd bled out too much. We gave him a transfusion and tried to repair the damage to his intestine, but we just weren't quick enough." 

Hearing it from Dean was hard enough, but hearing the exact diagnosis from Dr. Garrison was enough to send Audrey over the edge again. However, she was able to control herself enough to ask about her other friend. "And what about Lindy? What's her condition." 

"It's not any better," said Garrison. "Her brain activity is almost nonexistent. There's just enough that she isn't brain dead. But if just one brain function ceases, she won't be with us anymore. I would suggest contacting any family they have and letting them know what's happened." 

Audrey shook her head. "They don't have any family besides me and Dean," she said. "Lindy's mama died when she was little, and she never had a father. Her grandmother raised her, but she passed away shortly before she and Peter moved here. Peter's father died of cancer when Peter was in college, and his mother died of pneumonia a few years ago. Neither of them had any siblings." She breathed a shaky sigh and brought her hands up to cover her eyes. "Dean and I are going to have to arrange Peter's funeral." 

"Don't worry about that right now," Garrison said soothingly. "That can be taken care of later. Right now, the most important thing is taking care of that little boy." Audrey nodded in agreement. 

"Thank you, Dr. Garrison," she said. "Please let me know if Lindy's condition changes." The older man nodded, and Audrey went back to Tyler's room. She found the occupants of the room still in the same position as when she'd left them. Tyler had calmed down enough to stop crying, having dozed off in Dean's warm embrace. Dean, she saw, was resting with his head leaned back against the bed, but Audrey could tell he wasn't asleep. She didn't say a word as she crossed the room and seated herself in the recliner and stroked Tyler's light hair. 

The morning passed in silence, with neither adult saying anything and the child resting fitfully. At noon, a nurse brought in a tray full of food, enough for all three, but none of them moved to touch it. All Dean and Audrey could do was sit and wait for information about their other friend. 

Suppertime rolled around, and still, no one had said anything. Audrey had gotten up and made Tyler eat some of the food the nurse had brought for lunch, but neither she nor Dean had any desire to eat. As they watched the sky darken, the door opened, revealing Dr. Garrison. The couple looked up at him, their eyes asking the question their voices could not. Garrison just shook his head morosely, telling them all they needed to know. 

Tears sprang back in Audrey's eyes, and she gave the doctor a nod that said she would talk to him later. The older man left the young couple to grieve and tell Tyler that his mom was also gone. 

Dean's eyes met Audrey's, and he beckoned her to him. As she settled into his arm, he could only look sadly between his girlfriend and the boy they both loved so dearly. They were Tyler's parents now.

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A/N: So... yeah, this chapter's kinda tragic. Did I make you cry? I'm not completely satisfied with the ending, but I didn't like anything else I tried, so it is what it is. Don't forget to review! Thanks for reading, guys!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Greetings, readers! This chapter's gonna be a long one. There's a lot packed in this one, so buckle up for the ride!

Disclaimer: I own the computer I used to write this story. Does that count? Actually, it probably counts less than owning the box set, doesn't? *pouts* Ah, well, I tried. Supernatural does not belong to me.

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After Peter and Lindy's funerals, Tyler didn't talk much. In the days between learning about his parents' deaths and the funeral, the little boy didn't speak at all. Dean hated seeing his young friend so heartbroken. It was all he could do not to go find a crossroads demon and make a deal to bring Lindy and Peter back, but in his heart, he knew that would cause more harm than good.

Dean and Audrey kept Tyler out of school for a couple weeks, long enough for him to at least come to grips with his parents' death, but upon returning to school, he didn't try to be social, even with his friends. All Dean and Audrey could do was watch the boy they loved so dearly sit in silence; the only real interaction he had with anybody was curling up on the couch with Miso.

Halloween and Thanksgiving passed by without much fuss. No one in the Winchester-Dawson-McKauley household was interested in celebrating with their friends' loss still weighing on all of them. Audrey's family understood when the young woman told them that she and her new family wouldn't be celebrating with them.

As December rolled around, Audrey decided that her new, and still grieving, family needed some cheering up. So she decided they were going to celebrate Christmas, just the three of them. When she told them, however, she did not expect the response she got from Tyler.

"No!" he screamed angrily. "We're not doing anything for Christmas!" The boy stomped out of the room to the bedroom he now shared with Dean, leaving the adults staring after him in complete shock.

"Did he just...?" Audrey began, but she didn't really know how to finish her question.

"Yeah, I think he did," answered Dean, now a little bit mad at the kid for his disrespect. While he wasn't completely thrilled about celebrating Christmas either, Dean could tell where the idea had come from. Audrey knew that Tyler was still hurting after the deaths of his parents, and Dean himself still felt the loss of his brother. The young woman just wanted to bring some cheer into their pain-filled lives.

However, that did not constitute the angry and rude response Tyler had given. "I better go talk to him," said Audrey sadly. She walked around the couch to follow Tyler, but before she even got to the armrest, she felt her boyfriend's calloused hand wrap around her wrist and drag her down to sit next to him. "What is it?"

"Now's not the right time," said Dean. "He's already mad and upset. If we go in and ask him a bunch of questions right now, he's just going to lash out more. I've seen Dad to it a million times with Sam growing up, and it never ended well. Let's just give him a little time to cool off first."

Reluctantly, Audrey decided to trust Dean. She may have been around kids her whole life, but she'd never raised one like Dean had. And, from what she could tell, the man knew his stuff. "Alright," she sighed. "You're the one that has experience raising a kid."

"Please, Sam hasn't been a kid since he was 18," Dean shot back, not liking the attention and wanting to get it off of himself. "But I can tell Tyler's still just upset. I don't think he needs any kind of punishment. If he keeps this up, then we'll have to talk to him about his attitude. But I think the Christmas thing just caught him off guard."

"You're probably right," Audrey agreed. "Let's just play it by ear for now."

And so they did. For nearly two weeks, Tyler was cold and distant, and he was especially rude to Audrey. While they knew Tyler was still processing his grief, enough was enough. It was a week before Christmas when the final straw broke the camel.

"Hey, guys," said Audrey when she came in from work.

"You're home early," said Dean from the kitchen, where he was helping Tyler do his homework. The boy still had a dark scowl on his face.

"Yeah, one of the other nurses wanted some extra hours, so I told her she could take the last hour of my shift tonight," the young woman explained. "So, I was thinking. Since I got off early today, why don't we go Christmas shopping? To be honest, I haven't bought any presents yet." She had a hopeful smile on her face, which drew a smile from Dean.

"That sounds like a good idea," the older man agreed. "What do you think, Ty?"

"I'm not going," Tyler grouched.

Now Dean was getting mad. "Look, Tyler, you're only eight years old. You can't stay here by yourself. Plus, it'd be good for you to get out. The only time you leave the house is to go to school."

"Well, maybe I don't wanna go anywhere," the younger boy shot off.

"Hey, that's enough," Dean warned him firmly. "Your attitude has gone on long enough. I'm getting sick and tired of you being disrespectful, especially to Audrey. You need to apologize right now."

"You can't tell me what to do! You're not my parents!" Tyler shouted and jumped up from his chair. He ran down the hall, and a second later, Audrey and Dean heard the door slam.

A wave of sadness crashed over the boy's guardians as they realized just what Tyler's problem really was. "Now, we talk to him," said Dean, and he stood from his chair. Audrey moved to follow, but Dean stopped her. "I think I better talk to him alone," he said. "I know the loss of a parent, and the anger that comes with that. I can relate to him a little better. Why don't you go ahead and start on dinner? I'll go talk to Tyler."

Audrey nodded sadly and looked back up at Dean. "Okay," she said softly. Dean could see how hurt she was, and he drew her in for a hug. "I just wanted to help him cheer up," she whimpered as she began to cry.

"I know, Baby," whispered Dean. He kissed her hair gently and tightened his arms. "You didn't do anything wrong. Everything'll be alright." When he let her go, Dean have Audrey a soft smile. "It'll be okay, Audy. I'll be back."

When he reached his and Tyler's room, Dean knocked on the door softly. "Hey, Tyler," he called. "Can I come in, Champ?" There wasn't a response, which Dean decided to take as permission to enter. Opening the door revealed a small blond boy curled up on the big bed in the middle of the room. Tyler was sobbing his eyes out, and it broke the hunter's heart. "Aw, Tyler. Come here, buddy." With the loving arms only a parent could possess, Dean sat down and pulled Tyler into his arms, hugging him tightly and rocking him back and forth, much as he did at the hospital all those weeks ago. "Go ahead and cry it out, Ty. It's alright."

The sobbing persisted for a while, and Dean just sat patiently, holding the young boy that had become his own. When the crying finally died down, the older man sat the child up and wiped the tears from his cheeks and eyes. "Okay," said Dean gently, "you want to tell me what that was about back there?"

Tyler clammed up, turning away from his guardian. The scowl had returned to his face, but it had lost some of its intensity. "You know," began Dean, "when I was a few years younger than you, my mom died." Tyler looked skeptically up at Dean. "It's true. I watched it happen. See, when I was four, my house caught on fire. I ran outside with my baby brother, Sam, and my dad came out and got us a few minutes later, but my mom didn't make it. I was really sad for a while, and I didn't talk much. All I did was look after Sammy. I was really angry, too, especially when my dad would get someone to babysit me and Sammy while he was at work. I was a big boy, right? I should be the one to take care of Sam. But the real problem was that I thought my dad was replacing my mom." When he heard this, Tyler looked away again. "Is that what's going on here, Champ? Do you think Audy and I are trying to replace your parents?"

The young boy didn't answer verbally, but the look on his face told the hunter everything he needed to know. "Ty, you've got to know that we would never try to replace your mom and dad. We loved your parents almost as much as you love them. They were our friends, right?" Tyler finally responded with a nod. "And Audy and I know just how much you love your mom and dad. Never in a million years would we try to take their place. But we're your guardians now, Ty, and it's our job to take care of you. I know we could never compare to your parents, but we love you so much, Tyler, and Audy and I want what's best for you. Do you understand that?"

Tyler nodded again. "I just miss Mama and Daddy," he rasped. "I didn't want them to go away."

"I know, Kiddo." Dean hugged his young friend again, rubbing his back soothingly. "We didn't want them to go away either. Unfortunately, that wasn't our choice to make. So we just have to try to move on past it the best we can." Once again, Tyler pulled away to face Dean. "And I know for a fact that your parents would want you to be happy, especially at Christmas. Right?"

"Right," said Tyler with a sniffle. Dean gave the boy a soft smile. "I'm sorry for the way I was acting."

"Thank you, Tyler," said Dean, nearly crying himself. "Like I said, I understand where you're coming from. I accept your apology, and I forgive you. Now, how about we go back to the kitchen and join Audy? I know she could use a big hug from her favorite boy right about now."

"Okay, Mr. Dean." The two stood from the bed, Dean's hands on Tyler's shoulders, and went back down the hallway to the kitchen. They found Audrey sitting at the table, hands clasped and head bowed in prayer. "Miss Audy?"

When she heard her name, the young woman looked up and found her family standing by the island. "Tyler, Sweetheart, are you okay?" She jumped from her seat and dropped down in front of Tyler, who flung himself into her. "I didn't mean to upset you, Baby."

"I'm sorry, Miss Audy," Tyler cried. "I just miss Mama and Daddy, and it felt like you and Mr. Dean were trying to be them."

Audrey pulled back and looked Tyler in the eye. "No, no, Baby. We would never try to do that. We know that we can never be your parents; we don't want to be them. But we do love you enough to take care of you in their place. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Tyler. "Mr. Dean explained it to me. I know now that you guys just want what's best for me."

"That's right," agreed Dean, and he squeezed Tyler's shoulder proudly.

"Can we go Christmas shopping now?" Tyler asked shyly, looking at both of his guardians. He was rewarded with Audrey's beaming grin and a warm smile from Dean.

"Absolutely," said Audrey.

The small family went out shopping that night. They would split off every now and then so they could buy each other presents, and then they went to the Christmas tree farm to buy the best tree they could find. They spent that night decorating it, and it was the best Christmas tree Dean could remember having, second only to Sam's little makeshift tree the Christmas before Dean's deal came due.

Dean wished he could have his brother with him this Christmas. That year had been the closest the brothers had ever come to having a normal Christmas, even though their tree was decorated with air fresheners and fishing bobs, and their presents were just cheap items from the closest gas station. Now that he had a home and a family, Dean wanted more than anything to be able to share this with the most important person in his life.

As the 25th got closer, Audrey could see sadness weighing down on Dean, increasing just a little every day that passed. She knew he wanted his brother with him on Christmas day. Audrey wanted it for him, and it broke her heart to know that she couldn't give her boyfriend what he wanted most.

As she was putting away Dean's laundry a few days before Christmas, Audrey found a picture stuffed in one of the drawers in the dresser. A closer examination revealed it to be a photo of Dean and Sam. It was fairly recent, Audrey could tell, as Dean didn't look very much younger than he did now. She knew just what the perfect present would be for Dean.

"Hey, Tyler," called Audrey as she went back through the house, picture in hand. The young boy looked away from the television. "We need to go to the store," she said excitedly. "I found a picture in Dean's drawer, and I want to do something special with it as a present for Dean. Wanna help me?"

"Yeah!" The boy's enthusiasm was contagious, and it had Audrey smiling bigger than before.

"Come on, let's go."

Christmas morning dawned bright and beautiful. There wasn't a grey cloud in the sky, and the temperature was typical for a Georgia December. Not too cold, but just cool enough to nip at your skin. Dean just lay in bed, drifting between the waking world and the universe of his dreams. He'd actually had a pleasant dream, for once. He dreamed that Sam, Cas, and Bobby were alive, and that the four of them were out on a hunt. When it was over, they returned to Audrey's house for a drink, celebrating a job well done.

The pleasant memory was interrupted, however, by a small body falling hard onto Dean. "Ow, Tyler!" the older man groaned as the boy's knee dug into his hip.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Dean!" the excited boy shouted, and he ran out of their room across the hall. A chuckle broke out of Dean when he heard similar shouts coming from Audrey's bedroom, and when he finally got out of bed, he found Tyler dragging a very sleepy Audrey out of her room by the hand. "Whoa, slow down there, Speedy," said Dean as he caught Tyler in his arms.

"But it's Christmas, Mr. Dean!" Tyler tried to explain to his guardians, but it seemed they just weren't getting it. "We're supposed to go open presents!"

"Not yet, Tyler," said Audrey. "Remember, we read the Christmas story from the Bible before opening presents."

"Oh, yeah," said Tyler. He calmed down just a little, but his excitement didn't diminish in the least. "But let's still go to the living room." Taking each adult's hand, the excited little boy led his friends down the hall to the living room, revealing a pile of colorfully-wrapped gifts under the bright tree. "Wow!" he cheered, running toward the tree.

"Hold it!" called Audrey, holding up her thick Bible. "Bible first. Dean, will you read it for us?"

Dean was caught a little off guard by the request. Since Tyler had moved in with them, Dean had started taking the boy to church, as Audrey was still scheduled to work on Sunday mornings. He was surprised to find that it wasn't as daunting as he thought it would be, and now he even enjoyed it a little.

But this was the first time anyone had asked him to read a passage. "Yeah, I guess," he stammered, sitting down on the couch. Audrey sat next to him and linked her arm with his, and Tyler stayed where he'd plopped himself by the presents. Miso also jumped up onto the couch, not wanting to miss any of the excitement, and snuggled up to Dean.

It took a minute and some help from Audrey for Dean to find the scripture, and with a nerve-choked voice, began to read from Luke. "'And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.'"

As he read, Dean stumbled a little on the unfamiliar names, and he felt a little childish to receive help from Audrey. But he continued to read, encouraged by his family's smiles. "'And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

"'And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

"'And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.'"

"That's good, Dean," interrupted Audrey with a kind smile. For a second, Dean felt a little self conscious, wondering if she wanted him to stop because he was reading badly. But the smile on her face was enough to assuage his fears. "Thank you, Sweetie. Now," she said with a mischievous grin, "it's present time!"

"I wanna be Santa!" shouted Tyler. He jumped up from the pillow he'd been sitting on and grabbed a random gift out from under the tree. "This one's for Miss Audy," he announced and handed it over to its owner.

This carried on with each and every present. Tyler would find one, and then he would hand it to the one it was for. Finally, there was only one present left, tucked safely behind the tree. "This one's for you. Mr. Dean," he said.

Dean took it and read the tag on it. "'To Dean, from Audrey." He turned and gave her a cheesy grin, which Audrey returned, before tearing the paper. The paper fell away to reveal a picture frame, but it was the picture itself that caught Dean's attention.

It was the picture he'd been keeping in his sock drawer, a picture of himself and Sam that Bobby had taken on Dean's birthday. Both brothers had enormous smiles on their faces, and their arms were thrown lazily around each other's shoulders. "I found your picture the other day while I was putting away some of your clothes," Audrey explained. "I knew how much you wished Sam could be here, so when I found the picture, I thought this might help. I know it's not nearly the same as having Sam here physically, but at least his memory will still be here, right?"

Dean couldn't answer. He knew that if he tried to talk, he would instantly burst into tears. So instead, he pulled his girlfriend into the tightest hug he'd ever given her, and just held her until he could compose himself enough to speak. "Thank you, Audy," his choked voice whispered. "Thank you so much."

"You want to go put it on the mantle?" the younger woman offered. Dean wiped the tears from his eyes as he stood and walked over to the fireplace. He set it reverently near the end of the mantle, next to a picture of Audrey and Tyler.

"I love it, Audy," said Dean, smiling through his tears. He sat back down next to her and draped and arm across her shoulders. He leaned in and kissed her, expressing just how much her gift really meant.

"I have another present for you guys," said Tyler timidly. The adults looked at him expectantly, as there weren't any other gifts under the tree. "You remember when I got really mad and upset last week?" Both adults nodded that they did. "Well, I've been thinking a lot since then. I know you aren't my real parents, but when they died, you guys took me in and became my new parents." Audrey felt herself start to cry, and even Dean felt himself getting choked up. "I know you love me, and I love you guys, too. So, instead of Miss Audy and Mr. Dean, can I call you Mama Audy and Daddy Dean?"

Audrey and Dean both burst into joyful tears, and Dean tugged the boy into their laps. "Of course you can, Ty," said Dean, laughing through his sobs.

"We would love that more than anything," Audrey agreed.

The biggest grin Tyler had smiled since his parents' deaths stretched across his young face, and he hugged his guardians back. "Merry Christmas, Mama Audy. Merry Christmas, Daddy Dean." 

Dean smiled and kissed his boy on the temple, then took hold of Audrey's hand. They were finally a real family.

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A/N: Yeah, that was a long chapter lol. I thought about splitting this into two chapters so it wasn't so long, but I just didn't like the way that turned out. So I just wrote one gigantic chapter. I know the Scripture I added is what lengthened it so much, but I couldn't not write it out. I felt I had to. Who knows? Maybe God will use that for someone reading this. :) Thank you to everyone that's stuck with this story for this long. Don't forget to leave me a review! May God give you a blessed day.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Greetings, my lovelies. I'm so excited about this chapter, that I decided to go ahead and post it early. I know, I know, I'm such a wonderful person. On a less happy note, I'm afraid we've nearly reached the end of Beautiful Soldier. This will be the last chapter, and then an epilogue. No, please, don't cry. Just enjoy the chapter.

This is the chapter you've all been waiting for. A certain someone comes back into Dean's life, and he brings another couple of surprises with him. I bet none of you will see it coming. So buckle up and get ready for the ride!

Disclaimer: You know what? I'm too excited about this chapter to even care that I don't own Supernatural. I'll cry about it later. I'm too busy.

* * *

The early morning sunlight glared into Dean's eyes, waking him from a dream. It was another dream about Hell, but he was pleased that this nightmare wasn't as bad as they usually were. Sometimes, those dreams could get down right scary. 'Well, I'm awake,' thought Dean as he opened his sleep-swollen eyes, 'might as well get up.' As he sat up in bed, the hunter looked over at the other bed, and the little boy that occupied it. Seeing the serene, peaceful expression brought a smile to Dean's face. "Morning, Champ," he whispered and kissed his forehead softly before going to get a shower. 

Dean couldn't believe that it had already been over a year since he came to live with Audrey. Being in this small, backwoods Georgia town was the complete opposite of everything he'd had growing up, and he was still surprised sometimes by just how much he loved it. 

It had been just under a year since Dean and Audrey had taken in Tyler, and they had quickly become a real family. The thought never failed to bring a smile to his face. The peace and utter contentment he felt being here was like nothing else he'd ever experienced. Dean really was happy here. 

After a quick shower, Dean got dressed and headed to the kitchen for some breakfast. When he got to the living room, though, the sight that greeted him made his heart stop. It wasn't an unfamiliar sight to him, but he reacted the same way every time he saw it. 

Audrey was already up for the day, dressed in one of Dean's band t-shirts with her hair pulled back in a messy pony tail. She sat in the recliner, rocking a tiny baby and singing to her gently. A smile tugged Dean's lips as he walked over and leaned down behind the chair, planting a kiss on his girlfriend's cheek. "Morning, Babe." 

"Hey, Dean," Audrey replied, still smiling down at the baby she held. "Look who's up, Lily." 

Dean leaned farther over and kissed the baby girl on her forehead. "Good morning, Lilypad. Are you being a good girl this morning?" 

Though Lily was only two months old, she knew the older man's voice, and a huge smile spread across her face as she reached for Dean. "Here, baby girl, go to Uncle Dean while I fix you a bottle." With practiced motions, Dean took the tiny baby into his arms and bounced her around as he sang Smoke on the Water. "You're going to insist on teaching her to like classic rock, aren't you?" Audrey joked from the kitchen. 

"You bet I am," said Dean. "I know you like it, Lilypad. I have better music taste than Aunt Audrey, don't I?" 

"Hey, I like classic rock just as much as you do," laughed Audrey as she walked back in with a bottle. "Is it so wrong that I also like listening to classical music as well?" 

"Yes," said Dean without hesitation. "And don't get me started on that a cappella crap you were playing yesterday." 

"Uncle Dean needs to get out more, doesn't he, Lilypad?" Audrey asked her niece, playfully ignoring her boyfriend's amused annoyance. Once Dean was settled back in the recliner and Lily was happily chugging her breakfast, Audrey went back into the kitchen to start cooking for herself, Dean and Tyler. 

It was days like this that were the most peaceful for Dean. It was a Saturday morning, and Audrey's schedule now gave her weekends off. The hospital had graciously given her more flexible hours when Tyler moved in with her and Dean, and it was much better for all of them. And when Audrey's brother and sister-in-law had Lily, weekends became their days to babysit. It always amused Dean to see the floor get littered with baby toys every Saturday morning, no matter how long it had been since Lily arrived. 

The morning passed as their Saturdays normally did: lots of family fun time. Tyler loved playing with Lily, who he decided was his cousin, though he treated her more like a baby sister. It was around lunch time that Lily decided she was going to be ornery. "Come on, Lilypad, you need to calm down," Dean tried to soothe the crying baby in his arms. Bouncing, walking, and singing didn't do a thing to settle her down. "If only she would just fall asleep," he grumbled. He wasn't going to lie; all the crying was starting to give him a headache. 

"Now, I know you don't have any real reason to cry," said Dean, conversing with Lily as though she could answer back. "If you don't stop, you're going to give all of us a headache, and then we'll have to give you back to your mom and dad. And then, you're going to give them a headache, and they'll just bring you right back to us. I don't think you want to actually go through that whole cycle a million times, do you?" 

Just then, there was a knock at the door. "See, what did I tell you? Your mom knew you were crying and giving all of us a headache," said the hunter as he walked over to answer the door. "You're back a little early, aren't... you?" Dean trailed off, his jaw dropping and eyes widening when he saw just who had knocked on his door. 

Before him stood a tall, brown-haired man dressed in plaid, a wide yet surprised smile on his face when he saw Dean holding Lily. "Hey, Dean," said Sam Winchester, relief at finding his brother pouring off of him in waves. 

For several seconds, Dean was frozen stiff, his hands shaking in shock. "Au-Audy!" he called into the house. "Audy, can you come here?" 

"Yeah, Dean. What is it?" asked Audrey before she saw the man at the door. "Oh my gosh," she whispered, blue eyes wide. 

"Can you take Lily inside, please?" Dean requested in a small voice. Neither adult's eyes left Sam as Dean passed Lily to her aunt and the two disappeared back inside. "Sammy, are you real? Please tell me you're real." 

"I'm real, Dean," Sam assured his brother, just before said brother launched himself at the younger man. "I'm so glad I found you," he whispered as he hugged Dean tightly. 

Tears flowed down both men's faces as they held each other, the deep ache they'd both been feeling for over a year finally easing. "How did you find me?" asked Dean as they finally pulled away from each other. "What have you been doing all this time? Come on inside." Dean ecstatically pulled his brother into the house and led him to the living room, where he deposited his brother on the couch before dropping into the recliner. 

"Mostly looking for you," answered Sam. "It wasn't easy, and it took a long time, so I've been hunting, sometimes with Cas, and staying with Bobby between hunts." 

"Cas is alive? And Bobby?" Dean wasn't sure if he could handle too many more surprises in one day. "Last I saw them, Cas was a pile of blood and trenchcoat, and Bobby's neck was broken." 

"Cas came back after I jumped into the Cage with Michael and Lucifer, and he brought Bobby back right away. He tried looking for you, but you'd left the cemetery." 

"And how long have you been back?" asked Dean. 

"A little over a year," said Sam. "Cas brought me back almost immediately after I jumped." 

A sudden anger came over Dean for a second. "I tried praying to him more than once," he said with a growl. "He never answered me, not one time. What's he been doing?" 

"It's because he couldn't find you, Dean," Sam explained gently. "Your angel warding prevented him from sensing you, along with every other semi-friendly angel we asked to look for you. And after that, all the phones we tried to call disconnected one after the other." Dean looked down in understanding; he'd actually forgotten about the Enochian warding etched into his ribs, and his collection of cell phones hadn't once crossed his mind. "And after that, he had to focus on Heaven. Raphael is trying to start a civil war." 

"I never liked him," Dean grouched under his breath. "So, how did you end up finding me, if the angels couldn't?" 

"After we'd exhausted all our supernatural methods, we had to resort to more legal methods of finding a missing person," said Sam. "We asked Jody to put a search out for you, and, believe me, it wasn't easy. You had no phone, no credit cards. We tried running your aliases, your fake cards, nothing ever came up. It wasn't until a couple weeks ago that we even had a lead. Another hunter was working a case down here, and he called Bobby, saying he'd seen you around here. Jody looked for anything with your name on it down here, and she found your garage in Wayline. After asking some of your workers there, they told us your address. So, here we are." 

"We?" asked Dean. "Who's we? Did Cas or Bobby come with you?" 

There was a playful and excited gleam in Sam's eyes as he stood from the couch. "Come outside with me," he said. Dean followed his brother, who was waving at a black Dodge Charger. The next thing Dean knew, Castiel was walking up the steps. 

"Cas," Dean whispered, shocked and relieved to see his best friend again. 

"Hello, Dean," said Castiel with a smile. 

"It's so good to see you, man." Dean stepped forward to hug the angel, but then he saw the baby his friend was holding. "Uh, Sam, is there something you and Cas want to tell me?" 

Sam just chuckled and shook his head. "No, Dean. This is BJ." 

"BJ?" Dean repeated skeptically. "Alright, what's going on? Why do you have a baby?" 

"The last hunt we were on, there was a shapeshifter masquerading as different men around this town. The shifter would wait until the husbands left for a business trip or something, come 'home' and have sexy time with the wife, then come back nine months later to collect the baby shifters." 

"So BJ here is a shapeshifter?" asked Dean. Sam and Cas nodded. "Well, I've never heard of anything like that. What are you doing with him?" 

"Well, we couldn't exactly take him to an orphanage," said Sam. 

"Yeah, they might get upset when it turns Asian," said Dean sarcastically. 

"So... I adopted him." Dean's eyebrows shot to his hairline. "Dean, meet your new nephew, Matthew Robert John Winchester." 

"Robert John?" asked Dean with a laugh. "Come here, big guy. Come see Uncle Dean." Castiel handed BJ over to his uncle happily. 

"Yeah," Sam said sheepishly. "We were at the store getting him some stuff, and he was screaming his lungs out. This woman, who turned out to be the shifter, asked us his name. At the same time, I said Bobby and Cas said John. So I just turned it into Bobby John, and it stuck. Afterwards, I found out that his real name is Matthew, so I got Bobby to make him a birth certificate saying his name was Matthew Robert John Winchester." 

"But we still call him BJ as a nickname," explained Cas. 

"I get that, thanks, Cas." Dean looked back at his new nephew. "Man, I can't believe it. So, what are you doing about hunting now? You can't exactly take BJ on the road with you." 

"And that's the other part of the surprise," beamed Sam. "That shifter hunt was my last one. As you said, I can't exactly take a baby on the road, now can I?" 

"Sam, that's fantastic," said Dean, smiling enormously as he tugged his brother back in for another hug. "I'm so happy you're here, man." 

"I'm happy to be here too, Dean," Sam agreed as he hugged his older brother. "Well, let's go back inside. Introduce us to your family." 

The trio went back inside, Dean and BJ leading the way. "Hey, Audrey," the older man called when they entered. "Where'd you go?" 

"Shh, Lily finally went to sleep," Audrey answered softly. The younger woman stood from the couch and approached the men. "What's going on, Dean? I thought Sam was dead." 

"He was dead," explained Dean incredulously. "But Cas brought him back." 

"I thought you said Cas was dead, too. Start over from the beginning, please," Audrey requested. "I'm really, really confused here." 

The newcomers looked a little uncomfortable at first, deferring to Dean for guidance. "She knows," he assured them. "Unfortunately, Audy found out the hard way when a vamp broke in." Sam and Cas winced at the images that created. "Where's Tyler?" 

"He just went outside to play with Miso," said Audrey. "Want me to go get him?" 

"Not just yet," said Dean. "Tyler doesn't know," he then said to his brother and friend. 

"Alright, catch me up," said Audrey. And they did. Dean sat on the floor with BJ so he could play with the toys Lily had already scattered somehow. "That's amazing," Audrey finally said once she'd processed everything. "So, you're both really back from the dead?" 

Sam nodded. "Yep. And it's not the first time any of us has died. Including Dean." 

"Yeah, he told me about that," said Audrey. Just then, a noise rang through down the hall from the bedrooms. "That's Lily. Let me go get her." 

"How old is Lily?" asked Cas as Audrey dashed down the hall. 

"Two months," answered Dean. He looked up when he saw Audrey come back in with Lily. "Hey, Lilypad," he said when his girlfriend held out their niece to him. "You sure didn't sleep very long. Did you miss Uncle Dean?" 

Confusion fell on the other men in the room. "Uncle Dean?" asked Sam. "We thought she was yours." 

"Nope, but we keep her every Saturday and Sunday," said Dean. "Hey, Audy, why don't you go get Tyler? He can meet his uncles." 

Audrey smiled joyfully as she ran to the back door. "Hey, Ty. Bring Miso back inside. Dean and I have some people for you to meet." 

The blond boy bounded toward the house, the small fox hot on his heels. "Who is it, Mama Audy?" he asked excitedly. 

"You'll just have to come in and see." Tyler ran inside and Audrey scooped up Miso before returning to the living room. 

"Daddy Dean, what's going on?" asked Tyler when he saw his adoptive dad on the floor. When he saw the two men on the couch, however, he froze. He looked behind him at the mantle, at the picture of Dean and his brother, then back at the couch. "Isn't that your brother?" 

"Yeah, Champ. Come here." Dean settled Lily on the blanket with a toy and pulled Tyler into his lap. "You remember when I told you that my little brother died?" Tyler nodded shyly. "Well, it turns out that he didn't die. I just thought he was dead. My friend saved his life. Tyler, this is my brother, your Uncle Sam, and our friend, Castiel. You can call him Uncle Cas." 

"It's nice to meet you, Tyler," said Sam. 

"It's nice to meet you, Uncle Sam," Tyler repeated. "Daddy Dean talks about you a lot, especially when we go for a drive in the Impala." 

The younger Winchester couldn't stop the smile that innocent statement brought to his face, and he didn't want to. "Yeah, Dean and I have had lots of fun in that Impala. We practically grew up in it." 

"Who's the baby you're playing with, Daddy Dean?" asked Tyler. He watched BJ batting around one of Lily's stuffed animals. 

"That's my son, BJ," answered Sam. "I adopted him not long ago after his parents died." 

"Daddy Dean and Mama Audy adopted me after my parents died, too," Tyler told his new uncle. "My mama and daddy died in a car accident last October. They made Daddy Dean and Mama Audy my godparents." 

"I'm so sorry to hear about your parents, Tyler," said Sam sympathetically. "But I can promise you that Dean will do a great job taking care of you. He took care of me a lot when we were growing up." 

Dean looked away humbly, not liking the attention. "Well, who else could stand you enough to do it all the time?" he joked, bringing another smirk to his younger brother's face. Lily interrupted by crying again, which made BJ upset as well. "Hey, Lilypad, what's wrong, baby girl?" He picked the tiny girl up and began bouncing her, and Sam did the same with BJ. 

As Dean calmed his niece, he watched Sam rocking BJ. The older Winchester couldn't really ever remember seeing his brother interacting much with kids, and definitely not babies, but he was doing a pretty good job at the moment. It was always one of Dean's biggest wishes to see his little brother with a family of his own. It took a year of tragedy to get there, but it looked as though both Winchesters got the family they both longed for their whole lives. 

"Hey, guys, I've got lunch ready in the kitchen," said Audrey. "Y'all want to go eat? I can take Lily back to my room and put her down for a nap so you guys can catch up more." 

"Actually, it's about time for BJ's nap, too," said Sam, patting his sleepy son on the back. 

"I'll get Lily back to sleep," offered Dean. "They'll be fine in my bed." Getting up from the floor wasn't easy with a tiny baby in his arms, but the hunter was able to do it without too much trouble, and he led Sam down the hall to the bedroom he shared with Tyler. "It feels like we've got a nursery going on here," he joked as he shut the door behind his brother. 

"Even after having BJ for a couple weeks, now, I still haven't quite gotten used to him," Sam confided as he bounced the baby shifter in his arms. 

"Yeah, I kinda know what you mean," said Dean. "I've known Tyler for over a year, been his almost-dad for nearly a year, and sometimes I still can't wrap my head around this parenthood thing." 

"So, how are things between you and Audrey?" Sam asked his brother cautiously. He could tell Dean was close to the young woman, and that he cared for her deeply, but he was curiously to know just how deeply that affection ran. 

"She's one of the best things that's ever happened to me," Dean answered in a rare display of openness. Normally, the hunter wasn't one to share his feelings, as he'd been taught his whole life to bottle them up, shove them down, until he couldn't feel them anymore. "Honestly, Sammy, I'm in love with her. I didn't think that could ever happen to me, especially after Cassie, but I am." 

A huge smile pulled Sam's lips, bringing out his deep dimples. "That's so awesome, Dean. Do you think she might be, ya know, the one?" 

"Maybe," Dean answered vaguely. "I haven't thought about that yet, but who knows? Alright, Lily, you're fine." Neither baby was calming down, so the brothers shared a look. It was time to pull out the big guns, and together, they started singing Hey, Jude. 

In the living room, Audrey and Castiel could hear the brothers singing softly. "Dean should sing more often," the angel commented offhandedly. "Ever since I've known him, he wasn't much for singing. Of course, that was because he and Sam were forced into stopping an apocalypse almost as soon as I pulled him out of Hell. They haven't had much time for themselves." 

"Well, after Dean finally came to grips with Sam's supposed death, and especially after he befriended Tyler, he would sing sometimes," said Audrey. "He sings a lot in the car. Anytime we go on a trip, we take the Impala. Sure, it gets bad gas mileage, but it's more familiar for Dean. Not to mention how big it is. I can curl up in the backseat and sleep while Dean and Tyler rock their hearts out." A small smile played on Cas's face, the image bringing him joy. "He's come so far since I found him in Lawrence." 

"I thank you for that, Audrey," Cas said sincerely. "Dean and Sam have not had nearly as much good in their lives as they deserve. You have given Dean a home and love. He hasn't felt that kind of safety since he was very young." 

"Yeah, he told me about the fire," said Audrey sadly. The two sat in silence for a while, both remembering things about the enigmatic brothers they'd both come to love. 

"Mama Audy, can you come help me?" Tyler called from the kitchen, effectively ruining the moment. 

"Yeah, coming, Baby," she yelled back. 

After finally getting Lily and BJ to go to sleep, Sam and Dean snuck out of the bedroom, leaving the door cracked, and went to the kitchen. "I'm really glad you're here, Sammy," Dean repeated for what felt like the millionth time that afternoon. 

Sam gave his brother a soft smile. "Me, too, Dean. And I'm glad you were able to make a life here with Audrey. I'm really happy for you." When they reached the kitchen, Sam was immediately ordered to sit at the table by Tyler, who pulled him down into the chair next to him. 

While his brother started up a conversation with the rambunctious nine-year-old, Dean walked over to Audrey, who was busy cutting up a tomato for salad, and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I love you, Audrey," he whispered in her ear, giving her a gentle kiss on the temple. 

With a smile, the younger woman turned in her boyfriend's arms to give him a proper kiss. "I love you, too, Dean." Then the couple turned around to survey their expanded family, the man, the boy, and the angel all talking as if they'd known each other for years. "You know, the apartment over the shelter is pretty nice. I've spent a bunch of nights in there. If he wants, Sam's welcome to stay there. It'll be a nice little home for himself and BJ without him having to go find one." 

"Thank you, Audrey," said Dean. He moved his arm to wrap around her chest, holding her close. "I don't know what I would have done without you." This was the most peace Dean had felt since he was a small child. The last year and a half had been tough for him, especially the first several months, but the woman in his arms had brought him back from a dark place. Now, though, his life was so much brighter. With his brother and his best friend back and his two families combining into one, Dean was so much more than content. For the first time in his life, Dean was truly happy. He was truly home.

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A/N: There you have it, folks. I hope this happy chapter was to your liking. I couldn't stop smiling the whole time I wrote it. Well, except for today when I finished it, because I've had a headache for most of the day. But other than that, I couldn't stop smiling. This is, by far, the happiest chapter of the story lol. Leave me some reviews, please, and thanks for reading. You guys rock.


	16. Chapter 16: Epilogue

A/N: Well, guys, this is it. This is the final chapter of Beautiful Soldier. Thank you to everyone that has read, followed, faved, and reviewed. You guys mean so much to me, and it's really because of you that I was able to finish this story the way I did. As I said at the beginning of this story, I have trouble with writer's block, and you guys really helped keep that at bay. I love all of you, and I pray God's blessings on you.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Supernatural. Right now, I'm too busy crying to care. This is the last chapter! *sniffle sniffle* Just leave me be until the next fic.

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"Man, I hate these things," Dean grumbled as he watched himself fumble with the black bow tie that had gotten tangled around his neck. It was his wedding day, and the prospect had him more worked up than the apocalypse ever had. 

"It's because you don't know how to tie one," Sam retorted patiently as he swatted his brother's hands away and started on the tie himself. "So, you nervous?" 

"Who me?" asked Dean, his voice raising half an octave and his shoulders shrugging up and down. "No way, man. I'm rock solid." He blew out a shaky breath, however, completely ruining any facade he thought he might have had. 

"Yeah, I can tell," muttered Sam sarcastically. 

"It's perfectly normal to feel nervous or overwhelmed on days like this," Castiel said unhelpfully as he fiddled with his own tie. "I still don't understand why I have to wear this." 

Finished with the tie, Sam brushed down his brother's tux jacket and straightened its lapels. "Alright, man, you're good to go." He then turned to help Cas with his tie. "And you have to wear this because it's an important day for Dean. Plus, it's tradition." 

"Don't feel like I'm good to go," Dean mumbled under his breath. He looked himself over in the full length mirror hanging in his brother's bedroom, barely recognizing himself in the trim, black tuxedo. "I wish Mom and Dad were here," he said softly. 

Sam paused in tying the angel's bow tie and gave his brother a sad smile, turning to the older man and dropping a heavy hand on his shoulder. "I know, man. I wish he was, too." Just then, the door opened, and an older man with a thick brown beard entered, preceded by an excited ten-year-old and a hyper one-year-old, and followed by a tall brunette. "But at least we have the next best thing." 

The brothers turned to give their surrogate father and friend a big smile. "Hey, Bobby, Jody. Thanks for coming," said Dean, reaching his arms out to hug the older couple. 

"Please," scoffed Sheriff Jody Mills as she reached out to straighten Dean's slightly crooked tie. 

"As if we'd miss this," added Bobby Singer. "Nothing could pull us away from one of the biggest days in you boys' lives." 

Tears started welling in Dean's eyes, but the toddler at his feet demanded his attention. "Uh Dee!" BJ yelled, and he started giggling when his uncle scooped him up in his arms and blew raspberries on his stomach. 

"Hey, BJ. Don't you look snazzy today?" The little boy didn't understand what Dean was saying, but he still laughed and patted his uncles smooth cheeks. He did look snazzy, in his tiny tux and even tinier Converse All-Stars. "And you look pretty good, too, Ty." Tyler was also dressed in his own little tux with matching black Converse. 

"You look better, Daddy Dean," said Tyler as Dean pulled him into a hug as well. 

A second later, there was a knock on the door. "Dean," a voice called as a young blonde woman poked her head in the room. "You ready to go?" 

Dean let out a shaky sigh before squaring his shoulders and putting on his determined face. "Yeah, Maggie, I think I am." Maggie gave Dean a smile before ducking out of the room. Sam and Castiel took the boys downstairs, but as Bobby and Jody turned to leave, Dean stopped them. "Uh, hold up a sec," he said nervously. 

"What's going on?" asked Jody, her mom voice instantly coming out. 

"Um, I know I didn't get to ask this before, but... will you guys stand in for Mom and Dad?" Dean saw their eyes widen in sudden shock and quickly tried to explain himself. "I just mean, you know, Mom and Dad couldn't be here, obviously, but I know they would want to be, if they could be. But you don't have to if you don't want to. It's just that Bobby, you've always been like a father to me and Sam. And, Jody, well, you're not really like our mom, but it's nice to sometimes hear your mom voice when-" 

The younger man's babbling was cut off by Bobby, who pulled him into his arms for a tight hug. "What are you talking about, boy?" he demanded, voice choked by tears. "Of course we will. It would be our honor." He let go of Dean and gave him a proud, teary smile. "I'm so proud of you, son." 

"Me, too, Dean," Jody whispered as she placed a motherly hand on his cheek. 

Tears of gratitude were quickly welling in Dean's eyes, and he broke the moment with a cough to try and dispel them. "Well, alright then," he cleared his throat. "Let's do this." 

The group filed out of the room and headed downstairs to the car shelter, where they met up with the pastor of Dean and Audrey's church, along with the rest of the wedding party. "Dean," said Kurt Bagley when he saw the men and woman descending the stairs. He gave the younger man a smile. "How are you today?" 

Dean let out another shaky breath. "About as ready as I can be, I reckon," he answered. Looking up, he saw Keith standing with Tyler and called him over. "Listen, I made a slight change to the procession a few minutes ago," he told him. 

"You what?" Keith exclaimed. "But we've already arranged and rehearsed everything. What could you have possibly changed in such a short amount of time?" 

"I said before that I didn't have any parents to escort, right?" Dean reminded him. Keith nodded. "Well, now I do." He gestured over to Bobby and Jody. "They're standing in for my parents today." 

Understanding flooded over Keith, and he gave his soon-to-be brother-in-law a smile. "Got it," he said and clapped a hand on Dean's shoulder. "That'll be easy to fix. Let me just tell the other ushers so they know what we're doing." Dean gave him a nod of thanks, and Keith ran off. 

"Alright, I have confirmation that the bride is ready to go," said Brother Kurt. "How about everybody else?" A few 'Yeahs' and 'I reckons' sounded through the shelter, bringing a smile to the preacher's face. "Alright, let's do this." Once everyone was in the order they needed to be, Dean stepped up next to Brother Kurt and took a deep, steadying breath, and they walked out of the shelter together toward the field behind the house. 

In the field was a small setup of chairs and an arbor, all decorated with bouquets of purple and white hydrangeas. A tent was situated off to the side, where a skinny guy sat at a computer with power cords extended to the speakers that had been set up around the field. "I still can't believe Sam managed to talk me into letting Garth arrange the music for this," Dean grumbled. From his table, Garth Fitzgerald IV looked up and gave the groom a thumbs up and a smile, which Dean was unable to ignore. The guy was just too sweet. 

Then Garth started the first song, and Keith escorted Margie to the front row of seats. He then he came back for Jody, Bobby trailing behind. 

Once the parents were seated, Garth began the groom's song, and Dean felt the full weight of what he was about to do settle on his shoulders. Brother Kurt turned to Dean. "Let's do this." The preacher and the groom stepped forward and proceeded down the aisle in time with Aerosmith's I Don't Want to Miss A Thing. 

After Brother Kurt and Dean had themselves set at the front of the gathering, Castiel began walking in as well, escorting Keith's wife, Maggie, down the aisle. "He looks like he's trying to poop," Dean joked quietly when he saw Cas concentrating on keeping in time with the music. After Castiel and Maggie, Sam entered with Nina, followed by Tyler as the ring bearer. 

When he got to the end of the aisle, the excited ten-year-old went straight to Dean. "I did it just like you told me to," he whispered proudly. 

"You sure did, Champ," Dean told him with a pat on the shoulder. Next to enter was the flower girl. As the wedding was being planned, Dean hadn't been told anything about the arrangements for the flower girl. Audrey had just given him a sly smirk and said it was taken care of. Looking behind the guests, he wondered just who had been chosen as Audrey's flower girl. 

To the astonishment of Dean and all of the guests, a large remote-control car came rolling down the aisle, and nestled inside of it with her own little bouquet, was none other than Keith's daughter, Lily. Everyone laughed at the entertaining sight, but none as much or as loudly as Dean and Sam. The brothers had nearly fallen to their knees in throes of laughter, and tears had quickly started falling from their eyes. 

Once Lily was in her mother's arms and the boys had calmed their laughter, Garth changed the music, and Pachelbel's Canon in D began to play. 'This is it,' Dean thought nervously. He had no idea what his fiancee was going to look like, as she hadn't given him any hints about her dress except white. 

When the bride and her father stepped out, though, Dean was left breathless. Dressed in a lace halter gown and with her hair pulled back in a simple yet elegant bun, Audrey was nothing short of radiant. Though her veil was pulled over her face, the material was still thin enough for Dean to see her beaming smile. 

Dean was shaking by the time the wedding march ended, and Brother Kurt spoke up. "Dearly beloved, we're gathered here today to witness the union of Dean Winchester and Audrey Dawson in marriage. This couple's story is like none I've ever heard before. They met under the most tragic of circumstances, when Audrey found Dean after he thought he'd lost his entire family. They struggled to overcome the grief of loss and the uncertainty of a new life. They have faced many hardships together, as friends, and as a couple. But now, by the grace of God, here they are, with their family and loved ones, to celebrate this most sacred day in a young couple's life. Let's join together in prayer." 

After the prayer, Brother Kurt addressed Audrey's father. "Who gives this woman to be wed?" 

"I do," James spoke in his deep voice. He turned to Audrey and lifted her veil, letting it fall down her back, and kissed her on her cheek. "I'm proud of you, Audy," he whispered softly. 

"I love you, Daddy," Audrey said and gave him a tearful smile. Taking his daughter's hand, James looked up at Dean and reverently led Audrey to her groom, then took his seat next to Margie. 

While Brother Kurt spoke about the sanctity of marriage, Dean couldn't take his eyes off Audrey. She was breathtaking, and he felt so blessed to be with her. 

"May we have the rings?" Brother Kurt broke through Dean's thoughts. Tyler stepped forward and handed the ring box to the minister. "These rings are a symbol of eternity. They have no beginning, and they have no end. They represent what a marriage should be: everlasting. Dean, will you take the ring and place it on Audrey's left ring finger?" 

Dean did as instructed, and once again, he found his breath stolen from him as he took the small gold band and held it at the tip of Audrey's finger. "Now, repeat after me: With this ring, I thee wed." 

"With this ring," Dean choked on the many emotions he was feeling, "I thee wed." Once he had finished his vows, he pushed the ring down to rest at the base of her finger. Then Brother Kurt repeated the process with Audrey. 

"With this ring," she drawled softly with a warm smile, "I thee wed." And she slid Dean's ring into its proper place. By now, both bride and groom had tears flowing from their eyes, but neither made a move to wipe them away. 

After a brief moment of quiet for the bride and groom, the minister concluded the ceremony. "By the power vested in me by God and the state of Georgia, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Dean, you may kiss your bride." 

"'Bout time," Dean joked, but he had the most loving smile on his face as he wrapped his arms around Audrey and kissed her for the first time as her husband. 

"I'm honored to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Dean Winchester!" Brother Kurt exclaimed happily, and the guests stood to their feet, cheering and applauding the newlyweds. As Led Zeppelin's Black Dog started to play, Dean tugged Audrey back to him for another kiss. 

"I love you, Dean," Audrey said as she held her new husband close. 

"I love you, too, Audrey," Dean whispered as he stroked her cheek. With enormous smiles on their faces, the couple joined hands and raced back up the aisle, the cheers and shouts of their loved ones following behind them as they began their new life together. 

With a quick look behind him at his brother, Dean felt the elation radiating from Sam, and it filled him with a joy he'd never known. He had his brother. He had his best friend, and he had his father figure. He had a child to call his own, and now, he had his wife. Dean Winchester's family was finally complete.

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A/N: That chapter was so much harder to write than I thought it would be. Seriously, weddings are a difficult. I had to get help from How to Organize a Wedding Processional For Dummies. No lie. And you can ask . I probably talked her eyes off trying to figure this stuff out. Thanks, SG! And lots of thanks to LaughingLadyBug and Theia-The-Planet as well. You guys have been seriously awesome with your ideas and suggestions. If anyone's looking for some other great stories to read, go check out Wenny by LaughingLadyBug and 's Deredith Series. Both are wonderful! Thank you to everyone that's stuck with me this far. Don't forget to leave a review! God bless you!


	17. Chapter 17

Hi, guys!

Sorry, this isn't a new chapter or anything. Didn't mean to get your hopes up. I'm just posting this to some of my more popular stories to let you guys know that I've got some story ideas up on my profile that I can't really do anything with for various reasons. If anybody's having some writer's block or wants a new story idea, feel free to check out the ones I've posted and PM me about them. I'd love to see them be used and brought to life. Thanks!

Kurai


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